My Way of the Ninja
by Carrie2sky
Summary: Sequel to GOSD. AU where Naruto continues his journey as he follows his path to fulfill his 'nindo.' His next challenge is the Chuunin exams, but things are not always as they seem, and Naruto faces challenges and surprises along the way. Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1

My Way of the Ninja

**Summary: Naruto has successfully completed his first real mission as a Genin and is already being recommended to face the ****C****huunin exams. But many surprises and mysteries await him along the way, to fulfilling Naruto's **_**nindo**_** and becoming the future Hokage.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto at all, k? If I did, I would write it something like this. I do give credit to Kishimoto Masashi, since I'm using some of the dialogue and scenes. **

**Beta'd by MrsHellman, who also helped me with some descriptions.  
**

Sitting in their dinning room, having just finished a wonderful dinner consisting of Naruto's favorite meal, pork ramen, Minato was listening attentively to his son, Naruto, as he re-told everything that had happened on his first real mission to the Land of Waves. Naruto had done quite a few 'boring missions' as he put it, and was so thrilled to be doing his first 'real' one outside the village.

Minato smiled fondly at his son, who was talking very animatedly at the moment, waving his arms around for emphasis in certain parts. At first, Minato had been quite concerned when he learned that this mission wasn't actually C-rank as it first seemed. It had in fact turned out to be above B-rank in the end, and technically out of Team 7's league.

The older blonde felt his heart swell with pride as he continued to listen to Naruto continue his tale about how they had defeated Jounin level ninjas.

"I can't believe that there are guys out there, my age, who are stronger than me," Naruto finished, with a touch of sadness in his voice. Minato didn't miss it. "It's like, what were we doing?" Naruto asked with a touch of anger, and letting out an exasperated sigh.

Minato was quiet for a moment, and then he said something that made Naruto really think. "I understand how you feel, Naruto. It's true that there are guys out there who are your age and younger who are stronger than you, but because of that, you'll have to use it to motivate yourself to get even stronger," he told him, ruffling his son's hair to emphasize it. Naruto simply nodded in response. It was something he'd have to think about. "Your mission sounds like it was really exciting, Naruto," Minato went on. "I'm really proud of the way you handled things," he told Naruto, smiling at his son.

"Yeah, and I helped save Kakashi-sensei and everything!" Naruto boasted, perking up again as he came to think about the mission's _special_ events. "We worked really well together as a team, just like you told me, Tou-san."

"Did you now?" Minato chuckled at his son's enthusiasm. "Well, that's great, Naruto. Teamwork certainly is important when on mission like that."

Naruto smiled as he heard his father's praise, it just warmed his heart, and he lapped it up. It was important to Naruto to have his father's approval. "Yeah, I used a clone to henge into a shuriken that Sasuke threw and then I was able to nail the guy, it was so cool! I wish you could have seen it!" he went on excitedly as Minato continued to chuckle.

His son sure had grown a lot; it truly amazed him at how time passed so quickly and what it produced for growth. Children learn and grow so fast, and Naruto was no exception. Naruto was no longer a little boy who needed help and protection all the time. Those days were gone forever, and it made Minato sigh wistfully. The younger blonde would now be doing more missions with his team and spending just as much time with Kakashi as he did with Minato, if not more. Minato felt a slight pang of envy over that fact.

Naruto suddenly waved a hand in front of Minato's face and the older blonde was brought back to reality. "Earth to Tou-san, are you there?" The blonde ball of sunshine called, with a slight frown on his face. He wanted his father's full attention, and didn't feel like he was getting it at the moment.

"What? Yeah, I was just. . . thinking," Minato answered, shaking his head to clear his thoughts, and focusing on his son with a grin, pushing Naruto's hand away playfully.

"You know what else, Tou-san?" Naruto continued energetically, the frown gone, now that he knew he had his father's complete attention once again.

"What's that, Naruto?" Minato asked smiling at his son, with his hands folded under his chin.

"Sasuke was able to activate his Sharingan during the battle with Haku!" Naruto announced excitedly, his body trembling out of excitement, making Minato wonder if Naruto would fall out of his chair any minute, since he was currently on the edge it.

"Did he now?" Minato replied with an arched brow. _That's going to make things interesting__. . ._

"Yeah! Sasuke saved me and that's when I kind of forget exactly what happened, but some incredible chakra came out and gave me unbelievable power, I think and then I got Sasuke and me out of the _Makyō Hyōshō _**(1)**," Naruto explained, scrunching up his nose in thought, trying to remember what exactly had happened. "I thought. . . that Sasuke was dead," he finished quietly as he thought back to the raven's lifeless body that he had held in his arms. Sasuke had been so pale, more than he usually was, and so cold; it was very scary.

Minato looked over at his son as he noticed the change in mood. His son had his head down, his bangs covering his eyes from view. "That must have been very hard for you, Naruto," he said, putting a hand on Naruto's shoulder as he tried to look in his son's eyes to see if he could help the troubled blonde.

"Yeah. I couldn't believe that Sasuke would put his life on the line for me like that," Naruto said, looking up at his father, and his eyes held a sparkle in them that was usually present when the blonde was troubled or thinking about something very important. "I just lost it after that, I was so mad. Everything around me turned into a red shade, and I didn't know if what saw was real or not, but my other senses were better than ever before. I could hear everything that was going around me, and the smell. . . it was terrible. It smelt blood, and it was everywhere. . . Tou-san. . . I could smell Sasuke's blood."

Minato knew it had something to do with Kyuubi surfacing giving the circumstances surrounding the battle. It was the first time Kyuubi had manifested itself this way, and it was a bit disconcerting to Minato. He frowned as these thoughts came in mind. He'd have to have a talk about it with Kakashi later. . .

_B__ut I should talk to Naruto about it too__. . . _he added mentally, and after a few seconds he came to a decision. "I know that must have been awful for you to go through all of that Naruto. Tell me something?" Minato asked as he was finished debating in his mind.

"Hmm?" The blonde asked with a frown as he looked up at his father.

"Do you remember a couple of years ago when I told you about Kyuubi being sealed inside of you?" Minato asked as Naruto nodded solemnly that frown still in place. "And that you have two kinds of Chakra?" The older blonde continued.

"Yeah. . ." Naruto trailed off, uncertain to where this was going.

"When you got angry and thought Sasuke was dead, how would you describe the Chakra you felt?" Minato inquired as he tried to ask simple questions, and not ask directly if Naruto had felt possessed.

Naruto squinted his eyes shut as he thought about it. "It was very different than the chakra I usually mold. If I were to describe it in colors, mine is usually blue, but that time it felt red." He stopped here at looked at Minato seriously. "Was it Kyuubi, Tou-san?" he asked.

"Yes, Naruto, it was," Minato confirmed with a solemn nod of his head, his blonde locks following the motion. "When you got angry, Kyuubi's chakra leaked out of you, and that's probably how you defeated Haku," he explained, but when Naruto looked confused, he went on. "You won't always remember what happened. It's nothing to really worry about, just to keep tabs on," Minato assured him with a small smile, and after a while, Naruto smiled along with him. _It's nothing for him to worry about, only me. The seal may be weakening__. . ._ he thought, as his bit his lip, and thankfully, Naruto didn't seem to notice his father's concern; he was too deep in his own thoughts.

"Ne, Tou-san?" he suddenly asked as Minato looked over at the son again, an arched brow disappearing under his bangs, once again. "Do you think that shinobis are just emotionless tools to be used?" he asked seriously as he blinked a few times and titled his head to the side.

"Well, that's what most shinobi think, but personally, I do not," Minato answered, honestly, and smiled wide.

"Me either! I decided that day in the Land of Waves that I was going to pursue my own _nindo,"_ **(2)** Naruto answered with a smile gracing his lips.

"Did you now?" Minato smiled wider than before – if that was even possible – as he looked at Naruto fondly. _That doesn't surprise me._

Naruto nodded and then yawned big and loud, rubbing his eyes with a clenched fist, and it made Minato chuckle to see his son so adorable.

"You should go to bed, Naruto. You've had a long day," he told Naruto and he couldn't help but grin as the blonde frowned with half lidded eyes. It reminded him of Kushina in the mornings. She used to have the same look on her face, and Minato would always tickle her so that she woke up completely. He smiled as he began reminiscing nostalgically, but once again, he was ripped out of his thoughts, thanks to the little ball he and Kushina actually had created with their love.

"Okay, Tou-san. Goodnight!" Naruto said as he gave his father a quick hug and then bounded up the stairs to his room.

Minato just smiled and shook his head. If only he could bottle that energy and sell it.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Night fell on Konoha, and its citizens slumbered peacefully, feeling safe and secure in the beds of their homes, however – there were a few citizens of Konoha that weren't asleep, they were in fact conducting a meeting invisible for the surroundings.

The leader of the meeting started to speak as the rest of the members' quieted down.

"As you all know, five years ago, our coup d'etat failed. I believe however, that enough time has passed for us to finish what we started back then, and it's been to our advantage that no one suspects us yet. This time, we've formed an alliance that will assure our victory and it can't fail. It's time for us to act and soon. You all know what you are supposed to do. We'll be meeting regularly from now, as we begin to carry out our plans. When the opportunity is right, we will strike. You will be kept informed as things develop. Dismissed."

As everyone filed out, the leader allowed himself a small smile of triumph.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The next day, Naruto woke up early, knowing that he was supposed to meet his team by the bridge that hung over the river in the center of the village today. They were going to do more missions, and he was more than simply excited, he was thrilled!

He quickly dressed, and nearly stumbled out of his room, because of his speed, and when he came downstairs, he saw that his father had already left for work, and left him note.

_Do your best today, Naruto__._

_Love,_

_Minato_

Naruto grinned as he read the note quietly to himself; he loved his father for being so understanding and supportive. The blonde ate a quick breakfast and then was out the door with gusto.

"Yes! I'm going to do all my missions today with all I've got!" Naruto shouted as he ran off to the bridge – or rather skipping, or what you'd call it – and when he got there, Sakura and Sasuke were already there, waiting for Kakashi, who was late – as usual.

"Good morning, Sakura-san!" Naruto called happily with a grin plastered on his facial features, as Sakura looked up and saw the blonde coming towards them.

"Naruto-kun, I've told you before, you can just call me Sakura," the pink haired girl told him coyly, but the blonde didn't seem to listen, he just looked at her with his head titled to one side, the grin still in place.

"Yeah, yeah. Okay," the youngest of the three answered casually as he looked over at Sasuke. "Hey, Sasuke!"

"Hey, Naruto," Sasuke answered, giving his friend a small smile as Naruto walked past Sakura and began to talk animatedly with Sasuke.

Sakura felt a pang of jealously go through her. If only Naruto or Sasuke would talk to her like that! Naruto, being the Yondaime's son, was very desirable and not bad looking either. Sasuke was handsome as well, and the number one rookie! Why couldn't she be the person they both loved? They'd fight for her then, and it would mean they'd show in all different kinds of ways that they wanted her.

Sakura sighed as she ripped herself out of her imaginary world. _What can I do to get them to notice me? _She thought, and then began plotting, but was interrupted again, by a loud, voice belonging to a certain blonde.

"Geez, Kakashi-sensei is really late today," Naruto complained loudly as he walked around in a circle around Sakura and Sasuke, his hands across his chest, along with a pout on his lips – adorable.

"Wonder what excuse he'll use this time?" the raven asked as he followed his friend with his eyes. Sometimes he wondered if Naruto was younger than the blonde himself said – being as immature as he could be from time to time, yet the blonde could act so much older too, it was sometimes confusing. Sasuke sighed and shook his head.

Suddenly Kakashi appeared atop the bridge, his one visible eye formed a 'u' and his mask covering all the other evidence of a smile. "Good morning everyone! I got lost today. You see—"

"Yeah, right, Kakashi-sensei, try lying with a straight face!" Naruto yelled before the gray-haired man even had the time finish his sentence.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head, and jumped down in front of them. Naruto always knew that Kakashi came up with the lamest excuses for being late, and always called him on it. He just couldn't get away with much when Naruto was around. He was just no fun.

The mentioned blonde, forgetting his anger for the moment, was now excited about what kind of mission they'd be doing today. "Anou sa! Anou sa! Kakashi-sensei? We've only been doing easy missions since we came back from the Land of Waves. Do you have a mission where I can play a more. . . active role, something exciting?" he asked eagerly as Kakashi had his hands out in front him to try and calm the active blonde, but Naruto went on. "Something that will make my '_nindo_'?" he asked with fire in his eyes that made the older man shiver. He came to think about a certain 'nice guy' pose when he saw a fire in someone's eyes. He'd have a nightmare tonight, that's for sure.

"I see what you're trying to get at, Naruto, but as you know, I don't assign the missions, your father does," Kakashi answered with a cough, trying his best not to show the teens that he had just admitted to himself that _he_ would have _nightmares _tonight_._

Naruto looked a little downcast as he heard the answer, and a pout formed on those rosy lips. _I really hope Tou__-__san doesn't have us do some lame missions__._

"Oi! Naruto! Let's go, we do have a mission," Kakashi interrupted Naruto's thoughts and the blonde shook his head to get himself completely out of his thinking; damn his blonde genes.

"Hai," Naruto replied, following his sensei and teammates. _This better be good__._

". . ."

It was not good.

Naruto had to pull weeds, which he didn't do right, pick up trash out the river, almost falling down a waterfall, thankfully Sasuke saved him, but it was embarrassing, then he had to walk some enormous, stupid dog that lead him in the Trap Field. This was not turning out to be a good day!

Naruto currently had his arm around Sasuke's shoulder as they walked back to the main part of the village, having need his friend's support, and that was more than simply embarrassing.

The said raven couldn't help but poke fun at his friend's expense just a little. "Geez, Naruto, you over did it today. What you would do without me, hmm?" he teased with the infamous Uchiha smirk in place, and that only added to the effect.

Naruto grimaced as he saw that smirk; he knew that Sasuke was messing with him. "Aw, come on, Sasuke! Don't rub it in!" _Tou-san's going to get an earful from me_!" the blonde thought, seething inside. _This really sucks! There are guys who are stronger than me and Sasuke outside of here__. . .__ but we're stuck doing these stupid missions! How are we ever going to get stronger?!_

A cry from the sky was suddenly heard and Team 7 looked up in the air; brown eagle with white tips under its wings flew over Konoha, signaling all the Jounin to assemble in the special meeting place with the Hokage. Kakashi frowned as he saw it, and stopped to face his students.

"Let's call it quits for today. I have to go and submit the mission report now," Kakashi said, suddenly disappearing in a puff of smoke, making Sakura cough since she'd been the closest to him.

"Fine by me. I'm going to see Tou-san," Naruto said, oblivious to the fact that Kakashi has just left to see his father, his blonde genes really showing themselves. "What you about you Sasuke? Are you going to train some more or head home?"

"I'm going to go home," Sasuke answered casually as he thought about training, but merely snorted at the thought. He wasn't in the mood for more training, because after everything they'd been though these past hours, he was exhausted. "Will you be alright?" he asked the blonde instead, who still had his arm over Sasuke's shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks, Sasuke," Naruto answered, finally taking his arm off of Sasuke and sprinted away, or at least tried, Sasuke saw that the boy was limping slightly. The blonde was waving his hand towards them as he disappeared behind the houses.

Sasuke waved back and then nodded and headed off himself. But he turned to Sakura before he did so. "See you later, then."

"Yeah, see you," she answered. Inwardly, she felt very disappointed. She was really hoping that they could work on some 'teamwork' together. She sighed as she watched Sasuke disappear and headed home herself.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Minato was sitting at a desk, with the assembled Jounin in front of him. He eyed them before looking onto a few papers he had lying on his desk, and then he spoke up. "I summoned you here for only one reason. Most of you have already guessed by now what this is about as you've probably seen new face around here already," Minato began addressing them with a serious tone in his voice, he only used when in serious situations.

"So, it's that time of the year, already," Kakashi commented causally as he arched a brow.

"Has it been reported to the other countries yet?" another man, known as the son of the Third Hokage – Asuma, asked from the group of people.

"So? When is it?" Kurenai asked, being one of the only women in the room, but she didn't care that much about it, the most important part was that people were actually present and not running around the village, doing nothing.

Minato smiled as he heard those questions; they had figured it out, which didn't really surprise him. "They will take place in one week, and I've already informed the other countries," he answered as he removed a lock of blonde hair from his cerulean eyes.

"That's fairly sudden," Kakashi said, his one visible eye widening a bit at the information. They had mobilized their groups pretty fast.

"Well, I might as well make the announcement official. . ." Minato continued. "One week from now, the 1st of July, we will begin the Chuunin selection exam. Now that you know, I need those who are in charge of the Genins to step forward."

Kakashi, Asuma and Kurenai stepped forward, already knowing what this all was about.

"Are there any Genins you wish to enter into the exam among the ones you teach?" Minato asked them with his hands folded on his lap. "As you probably know, any Genin who has completed more than eight missions is eligible to enter the exam through your recommendations, even though normally, those who have done twice that amount are more suited."

Iruka listened intently as he thought about Naruto and if he really was ready for a Chuunin exam. He knew the boy had completed a lot of missions, and their latest one had been more of a success than ever before, considering they were Genins and the mission had been B-ranked. _There's no point in asking. It's too early for them,_ he concluded.

"Well then, let's start with Kakashi," Minato said as he removed his hands from his lap and took a hold of a brush, so he could put down any recommendations.

"From the seventh squad that I lead Uchiha Sasuke, Namikaze Naruto, and Haruno Sakura, I recommend all three to the Chuunin selection exam under my name Hatake Kakashi," the man answered and at that comment Iruka's eyes widened and the brunette let out an audible gasp of disbelief.

Kurenai went next, and she straightened her posture before answering. "From the eighth squad that I lead Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino, I recommend all three to the Chuunin selection exam under my name Yuuhi Kurenai."

"From the tenth squad that I lead Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chouji, I recommend all three to the Chuunin selection exam under my name Sarutobi Asuma," the last of the three answered and Iruka couldn't believe what he was hearing. He'd taught those kids at the Academy and from what he knew, they weren't ready for something as extreme as that.

The other Jounins began to murmur among themselves as the blonde Hokage wrote down the squad, the names of the students and then the sensei. "All three of you had recommendations. Interesting. It's been a couple of years since rookies have appeared in the Chuunin exam," the blonde commented as he finished writing the name 'Asuma' on his paper.

Iruka couldn't stay silent any longer and stepped forward to tell the man about his qualms and worries. "Please wait, Hokage-sama!" he began urgently as the Hokage rose from his seat, about to dismiss the other Jounins.

"What is it, Iruka-san?" Minato asked, raising one blonde eyebrow at him, sitting down into his chair again, aware of the looks from the other Jounins in the room.

"Please let me speak, Hokage-sama," Iruka began, as the three Jounins looked at him, waiting for him to speak.

"Excuse me for interfering, but each of the nine that were named, were students of mine at the academy. Every one of them is very talented, but it's too early! They need more experience before they enter the exam!" Iruka exclaimed, his worry being transmitted to his voice; it was shaking.

"I became a Chuunin when I was six years younger than Naruto," Kakashi answered coolly as he looked at the man with his one visible eye. He could understand the man's worry, but this was pathetic. Kakashi had seen them in action; Iruka had merely seen them throw a kunai.

"Naruto is different from you! Do you want to ruin him?" Iruka retorted hotly, a frown visible on his forehead. "No offense intended Hokage-sama," Iruka added, knowing he had to tread carefully, since they were speaking about the Hokage's son here.

"I know Naruto quite well," Kakashi responded, his voice interrupting Minato who was just about to answer. "This is exactly the kind of challenge he needs. These rookies are not your students anymore. They are under my supervision now, so don't interfere."

"But the Chuunin exam is the also known as the—" Iruka started but Minato interrupted him with a harsh tone in his normally smooth voice.

"Iruka, you don't have any need to worry. This is something they might get through or might not. If they fail it, they can re-take it when the times come again. But if you fail on a mission, you fail once and then it's over."

"Demo, Hokage-sama," Iruka started, but caught Minato's look in his eyes, which had taken a darker shade of blue. He could see the man's worry for his own son, but he could also see the determination.

"I understand your argument. So, we will put the rookie Genins through a special preliminary exam," Minato explained, with a smile on his facial features, his eyes returning to its previous color.

"A preliminary exam?" Iruka repeated, surprised, his brows shooting up his head.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Naruto was impatiently waiting inside his father's office; he had been informed that he was in a special meeting with Jounin and that he could wait in his father's office. The blonde looked over at the clock that hung on the wall, and realized that time was passing slowly. _Geez, what is taking Tou__-__san so long?_ He thought angrily as he crossed his arms over his chest, his pout in place once again.

Naruto heard the door open and saw his father come in, and the younger blonde turned his head towards the intruder, and when he saw it was his father, he look relieved.

Minato looked surprised at Naruto, who was sitting in his chair, a look of impatient relief on his face. It wasn't what he'd been expecting.

"Naruto? I didn't expect to see you here," Minato began as he walked over to his son who leaned forward in the chair, resting his forearms on the desk. That's when Minato noticed that the blonde's jumpsuit was getting too small. The arms were ending about an inch before the blonde's wrist.

"You know me, I'm full of surprises that way, Tou-san," Naruto answered dryly as he leaned his cheek on his arms, making himself comfortable. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Language, Naruto," Minato scolded mildly with a raised finger, as Naruto glared and huffed at him. "I had an important meeting," he answered as he walked over to stand by Naruto who straightened up as he heard about the meeting. Maybe something cool was going to happen in the village? He'd have to ask about that later on, right now, he had some unfinished business to discuss with his father. . .

"Well, I have a bone to pick with you," Naruto began hotly as he glared at his father with pout, which effectively ruined the seriousness of the discussion.

"Oh, what is that?" Minato asked, having a good idea what this might be about.

"Why do we keep getting assigned these lame missions?" Naruto accused as he pointed a finger towards his father. "We pulled a B-rank in the Land of Waves, and now all we do is D-rank! What is up with that?" he finished angrily as he jumped out of the chair to face his father. It was an attempt to be intimidating, but with Naruto being short, and his father tall, it didn't work well. "Don't you trust me with bigger mission?"

Minato sighed as he heard that last comment; it was typical Naruto to ask something like that. "Of course I trust you, but technically, that mission was out of your league, and shouldn't have even been completed," he answered, reaching over and tapping Naruto lightly on the nose. Naruto rubbed the spot that was now tingling.

Naruto glared at the man he called Tou-san, and Minato merely laughed at the expression his son held. "Maybe so, but we handled it! Can't we at least do some C-ranked ones?"

Minato smiled as he continued to laugh inside. He was positive the kid got his stubbornness from his mother; they were unbelievingly alike in their way of getting their wants. "After today, I don't think that will matter," the older blonde answered vaguely.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked with a confused look on his face.

"You'll see when you next meet with Kakashi," Minato answered evasively as he smirked at his son's curiousness.

"Arg! You and your secrets!" Naruto huffed and pouted, his arms crossed over his chest once again. His father just _loved _to hide things from him especially when it was things Naruto more than willingly wanted to know.

"You're so cute when you're angry," Minato teased him as he pinched the blonde's cheek, making the blonde blush.

Naruto glared daggers at him, but the blush only made Minato laugh louder.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_**TBC**_

**AN: I'm going to throw in a few Japanese words I looked up and I'll put the translations down here. This is going to basically follow the canon but with my own twists, since Naruto's life will be different being raised by the Yondaime, so you'll recognize dialogue/scenes from the manga, see my disclaimer above. Naruto and Sasuke have a brotherly kind of relationship, not yaoi, sorry. Reviews are wonderful!**

**(1)**Demonic Ice Crystal Ice Mirrors

**(2)**Nindo-my way of the ninja


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Beta'd and helped by: MrsHellman  
**

**AN: I don't own Naruto, k? Stick with this, because it gets better, and deviates more from the canon as the story progresses.**

The very next day, Sasuke and Naruto walked together over to the usual meeting place, the bridge over the river. Sakura was already there, leaning on one hip, having a look of dishevelment clear on her face, her hair looking the same way. Seemed she got there in a hurry. They were supposed to meet Kakashi here to do Kami only knows what, and would the gray-haired, lazy ass actually show up on time? Of course not. Naruto wondered why Sakura even bothered to get there on time, since Kakashi wouldn't show up at the designated time anyway. They greeted each other, and right away, Naruto and Sasuke could tell Sakura was in a bad mood. Time passed by and and it was now getting ridiculously late, Team 7 was going quite restless.

Naruto was hoping that he would get some answers to his father's mysterious statements to him from yesterday. It was something that had been on his mind, bugging him ever since he heard it, and he wanted answers, and he wanted them sooner rather than later.

"Ah man, this sucks! Why does Kakashi-sensei always make us wait, when he's the one who called us up?" Naruto complained loudly as he stomped his foot immaturely on the bridge, his hands on his hips, and a pissed facial expression.

"Yeah!" Sakura chimed in with her fists held in front of her chest. "I'm wondering how he's going to compensate me when I woke up late and couldn't even dry my hair!" She finished hotly and Naruto forgot that he was pissed and stared at the pink haired girl with a confused expression. Said pink haired girl tried not to sweatdrop at her own idiocy.

"And no doubt he's going to spin some stupid story again about why he's late," Sasuke added, also annoyed over the fact that his teacher was late – as usual.

Speaking of the devil, Kakashi appeared on top of the bridge they were all standing on. "Good morning, everyone! A cat crossed my path today and—" but he got interrupted as usual by a certain blonde.

Naruto pointed at him and yelled with a high-pitched voice, making himself sound like a girl. "Nice try!"

Kakashi rolled his eyes and coughed a couple of times, ignoring himself getting caught – again. "I'll get to the point then," he said instead, jumping down in front of them. "I recommended all of you for the Chuunin exam that's coming up, so here, take these applications," he told them, handing them the forms with a smile, not that anyone could actually _see_ his smile, his 'u' shaped eye was the only indication.

"Chuunin exam?" Naruto repeated, surprised. "That's like the next step up in shinobi rank, right?" He asked, still not getting it, but he was close.

"Correct," Kakashi answered, with a finger in the air, and suddenly Naruto's face lit up.

"So _that's_ what Tou-san must have been talking about yesterday! Geez, he could have just told me!" Naruto complained, feeling indignant at the thought of his father not telling him something this important, and it was actually involving Naruto himself.

"I'm sure he had his reasons, Naruto," Kakashi answered, with that annoying eye-smile of his. "Now, Each year at this time, we hold the Chuunin selection exam," he went on and leaned on one hip. "If you pass the exam, you'll become Chuunin. However, the recommendation does not force you to take it. You can decide if you want to take it or not. I believe you are all ready to," he finished and covered his ears as a high pitched cry was head, only a few feet away from him. "Kami-sama, can you get any louder?"

"Yes!" Naruto yelled, pumping his fist in the air. "You're the best, Kakashi-sensei!" He ran up to Kakashi and hugged him, spinning them both around, making the grey haired man doubt the blonde's IQ.

"I appreciate your enthusiasm, Naruto, but get off me, please," Kakashi finally said, putting Naruto down. "Only those who wish to take it are to sign the applications and five days after that, show up at the academy by 3pm in room 301. That is all," he said with a shrug and then he disappeared in that cloud of smoke.

_He sure leaves fast enough, but can't get here soon enough, _Naruto thought bitterly as he watched Kakashi disappear. He looked at the application in his hand and studied it with a certain gleam in his eyes; this was his change to prove himself. "Heh, the Chuunin exam," Naruto repeated, looking at his application with pride. This was going to be awesome.

The three Genin starting walking back together towards the main part of the village.

"I bet there will be a lot of strong guys there," Naruto said to Sasuke, as he nodded and the two of them began to talk about what it would like. Sakura appeared to be a bit worried; however, as she tuned out what Naruto and Sasuke were saying, drowned in her own thoughts. The Chuunin exam? Her?

"Well, I'm not going to lose to anyone," Naruto boasted as he drove a thumb into his chest, and Sasuke merely smirked at his friend and gave him a hearty pat on the back.

As Naruto contemplated what the exam would entail, he started to daydream; he was the winner of every test, he pictured himself standing on a platform in the number one spot holding up a trophy. _If I win this, I'll be well on my way to becoming Hokage in no time._ _In fact, __T__ou__-__san may decide to make me Hokage early and just retire!_ He thought happily and grinned maliciously.

"That's the spirit, Naruto," Sasuke was saying to the blonde who was still off in dreamland. "Of course, I don't plan on letting you get ahead of me, either, _dobe._" Naruto didn't hear him since he was still having his daydream. Sasuke frowned, thinking for sure that calling Naruto by that name would get a reaction out of blonde, since it usually did. They loved to call each other names like that, like two brothers who liked to sometimes fight and tease each other.

The raven frowned again as he looked over at Naruto who was still in la-la-land. "Oi! Naruto?" he called to his friend, bopping him on the head to get his attention.

"What was that for, Sasuke-_teme_?" Naruto glared slightly at his friend for interrupting his lovely daydream; using the occasional name he gave Sasuke for annoying him back, like a brother would. He rubbed the spot where Sasuke hit him.

"You were totally spaced out, I had to get to back to reality somehow," Sasuke smirked at him as he shrugged. "Let me guess, you were dreaming about winning everything, weren't you?"

Naruto blushed and adamantly denied Sasuke's playful accusation.

Sakura meanwhile was worried. _I don't know if I should go through with this. I mean, I'm having some trouble keeping up with Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun. How can I possibly take the Chuunin exam?_

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After the group had parted ways, Naruto went up to his father's office to show him the form, and yell at him for not telling him anything sooner. There was no fun in being the Hokage's son if he didn't get to know important stuff like this before everyone else. Then he couldn't rub it in their faces that he already knew. Really, his father took away all his fun.

"Tou-san!" Naruto shouted, slamming the door open, and causing Minato to jump in surprise, and spill his tea on some of his important documents.

"You could do me the courtesy of knocking, Naruto," Minato told him dryly, with a slight twitch in his left eye. Those were the Chuunin exam forms, and it didn't look like they were doing well, as Minato struggled to fix them.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me the Chuunin exam was coming up this soon?" Naruto accused as he showed his father the form in his hands. "You could have told me, since I'm competing!"

"Language, Naruto!" Minato scolded as Naruto just rolled his eyes. "This has just been announced and I inform the Jounin's first," he went on patiently as he tried to separate the tea drenched forms he held in his hands. They were sticky and attached to each other, making him curse under his breath. _Why did I want to have a child again?_

"But what's the point in being your son, if I can't be included on information like that now and then?" Naruto huffed as he came over to his father's desk, and threw his own form down on the desk, making the older blonde wince; praying to the Shinigamis that there were no tea on that spot.

Minato sighed at two things; his son's statement and the papers that were ruined beyond repair thanks to his energetic offspring. "Naruto, just because you're my son, doesn't mean you get special treatment like that. It wouldn't be fair to everyone else."

Naruto huffed and pouted childishly, but sat down in a chair by his father's desk, narrowing his eyes at his father, he said, "I take it that's what you were alluding to yesterday," he said, still angry over the fact his father wouldn't tell him stuff like this in beforehand – ever.

Minato smiled at that comment, as he threw the forms away, he'd have to get new ones. "That would be correct. I see from your form that you have seen Kakashi already."

"Yeah, when he finally showed up," Naruto answered still feeling a little angry. "That baka sure knows how to be late, and then get the hell out of there as soon as he can," Naruto muttered under his breathe as he thought about the lazy teacher he had.

Minato stifled a laugh as he heard that comment, even though he didn't like to hear his son swear, and then cleared his throat. "Congratulations, Naruto. I'm really proud of you."

Naruto looked up, and seeing his father's grin, couldn't help but smile too. "Thanks, Tou-san," he answered, rubbing the back of his head feeling a little embarrassed but happy over the fact that his father had just praised him.

"I had to ask if there were any rookies to be recommended this year. You know that rookies have not been in the Chuunin exams for five years?" Minato asked him with a quirked brow as he started looking for some paper to dry his tea spill with.

"Really? I didn't know that," Naruto answered, surprised, as he followed his father's movement with a small smirk.

"Yes, this year is going to be different in a lot of ways," Minato told him, finding what he was looking for. "It will be very. . . interesting." He started to clean the desk, but sighed when he realized that the desk was made out of wood and the tea made a permanent stain.

"Is there anything I can do to prepare for this?" Naruto asked his father, ignoring the look of annoyance on his father's facial features.

"No, not for the first part," Minato answered evasively. He wasn't allowed to reveal the details of the exam to any examinees, including his own son. Naruto looked at him quizzically, but Minato didn't elaborate further.

"This is more of your damn secrets, isn't it?" Naruto accused, pointing his finger at Minato.

Minato shook his head at his son's language, but chose not to comment on it this time. Instead he told Naruto, "It's going to very hard, son, remember that," he warned him with an arched brow at the language and then smirked. He decided that the tea could wait; more damage would be done, but what the heck!

"Hai, I know, but I'll do my best to lose to no one," Naruto said proudly as he grinned towards his father. Minato splitting his face into two with an identical grin; he sure was proud over his son.

"That's the spirit," Minato told him as he gave the kid thumbs up. "Why don't you head home, I'm going to be a bit longer," he suggested. _And you'll be given that preliminary exam on the way,_ he thought.

"Okay. See you later then!" Naruto said, as he got up and left quickly thought the door, thinking about what dinner they could have tonight.

Minato watched Naruto leave and smiled sincerely. _Do your best, Naruto. I know you can do _it.

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It was now night, and Kakashi was sitting on a rooftop, looking at the moon, when what appeared to be a foreign ninja appeared behind him.

"Well, how were they?" Kakashi asked him without turning around to face him; he already knew who it was.

"Although we went through the trouble of setting up a special preliminary exam, all nine rookies passed." The foreign ninja then revealed his true form, which was no other than Umino Iruka. "It seems that their skills are growing, just like the three of you said," Iruka admitted as he thought back to the previous events during the day.

"Yes, but the real Chuunin exam isn't going to be that easy," Kakashi answered seriously as he finally turned around to meet the man face to face.

Minato was pleased, and not entirely surprised that his son and his team had passed the preliminary exam. He knew they would, and he also knew that they would have to face yet another test when they got to the academy, but he was sure they would pass that one well. Then the real test would begin. . .

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Naruto decided to do some training while he passed the time for the exam to start. He split up his time between training by himself and training with Sasuke at the training grounds. Five days shouldn't have seemed so long, but to Naruto, it seemed to take forever, and the growing holes in the ground at training ground 13 also knew that. They were getting bigger and bigger thanks to a certain blonde's restlessness. But there was something Naruto didn't want to admit; he was feeling a little nervous about what would be expected of them to pass the Chuunin exam.

After finishing training with Sasuke, Naruto suddenly asked the raven something that made said raven arch a brow. "Ne, Sasuke?"

"Yeah?" Sasuke answered, looking over at the blonde, who wore a thoughtful expression.

"What if we have to fight each other in the Chuunin exam?" Naruto asked seriously with a wrinkle between his two blonde brows.

Sasuke thought for a moment before answering. Truth to be told, he had been pondering the same question for some time now, even though they had no idea exactly how they would be tested, there was the assumption that their fighting skills would be tested, against foreign ninja and even each other.

"Naruto," Sasuke answered seriously, causing Naruto to look over at him questioningly. "Let's agree right here and now that we'll do our best, and not to hold back. I wouldn't want anything less from you," he said, holding out his hand for Naruto to shake on it.

"All right, you've got a deal, Sasuke," Naruto answered, as he took Sasuke's hand.

"Demo. . . what if one of us doesn't pass?" the blonde asked with a frown.

"You worry too much, _baka_," Sasuke told him playfully and hit the blonde over his head. "Oh! It's getting late, I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow at the academy."

"Hai! See you there!" Naruto answered as he waved his hand at Sasuke who waved back before disappearing. The raven was so cool, and casual about all of this, while Naruto's were troubled and trembling out of nervousness. Tomorrow was the beginning of the exam, and he had no idea what to expect, no thanks to his kill-joy-of-a-father. He wouldn't even give Naruto a hint! As Naruto headed home, he began to imagine how he could make his father's life a living hell as a result.

**TBC**

**AN: I know this chapter is a little shorter. I had to break it up from the first chapter, or it would have been too long. The next chapter should be longer. It would be really lovely if you could review. It won't take much of your time and it helps an author so very much. I don't even care if it's anonymous, since I know it's a pain to log in every time.  
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	3. Chapter 3

My Way of the Ninja

**Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, or I'd be rich, believe it!**

**Beta'd and helped by: MrsHellman**

The next morning, a disgruntled Naruto left the Hokage mansion, just as Minato wished him luck. The younger blonde was angry that once again, he had gotten nothing out of his father about the exam. He heard his father's 'good luck' just before he shut the door, a bit forcefully.

Minato sighed as he watched the blonde out the window and head for the academy. It was hard not to be able to tell Naruto anything about the exam, but it was for his own good. The older blonde shook his head. It was so hard to keep these kinds of things from his son. Naruto had a way about him that when he wanted something from Minato, he could be relentless. He got that from his mother and when Minato thought about the woman he wanted to cry sometimes. The taller blonde had been so close a couple of times to giving it all away, but in the end, he was able to keep his resolve. Minato bit his lip. This was a big day for both father and son. He still couldn't believe that his son was taking the Chuunin exam, and so soon too. He sighed and shook his head. His son was growing up too fast.

_Do your best, Naruto, _he thought as he tore himself away from the window and got ready to leave for work.

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Naruto met up with a certain raven, Sasuke, on the way over to the academy. When Sasuke saw Naruto, he thought the blonde would be ecstatic about the exam, instead he looked kind of…angry.

"Naruto?" the raven asked tentatively. "What's wrong?" he asked as they started walking together.

Naruto shrugged. "Oh, it's tousan. He wouldn't give me a single hint about this exam! He's such a stickler for rules," he grumbled.

The raven eyed Naruto carefully. "You're not nervous, are you?" he asked his blonde friend.

"Wha-? No way, Sasuke!" Naruto laughed heartily, as he put his hand behind his head. But Sasuke wasn't fooled. The blonde only laughed like this when he was nervous. He was about to say more, but Naruto spoke again.

"Let's hurry, I don't want to be late," he continued, interrupting the raven's thoughts and picking up his pace. Yep, Naruto was nervous. Sasuke himself felt great anticipation. He hurried to keep up with Naruto's pace.

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Team 7 – Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura – had just walked through the door of room 301, just minutes before, having easily passed a little genjustu test on the second floor, set up by some Chuunins they'd never seen before.

After seeing Kakashi outside the door they were easily granted passage though said door; the grey haired shinobi allowed them to pass, since they all came together. When they got inside, they looked around the room in surprise at what they saw – the room was entirely filled with would-be Chuunins and it made their eyes pop out of their sockets. It was more than simply incredible that this many people were taking the exam!

"What, are you three going to take this troublesome exam, too?" A familiar voice said from behind them, interrupting their thoughts.

"Hey, it's one of the idiot trio," Naruto said, when he saw who it was who had spoken. Sasuke smirked, and Sakura cringed. For being the Yondaime's son, Naruto was lacking in manners sometimes.

"Stop calling us that. How annoying," the boy with the pony-tail answered, whose name was Nara Shikamaru. Now Shikamaru always complained about everything and was very lazy, even though he was actually pretty smart.

Next to Shikamaru, was a chubby boy, eating potato chips non-stop, who was also a part of this group Naruto labeled as 'the idiot trio.' His name was Akimichi Chouji and this boy was _always_ eating something. In Naruto's mind, he was a fat idiot that can only eat, eat, eat, eat and guess what? Eat.

Yamanaka Ino was standing just behind Sasuke, seeming like she wanted to 'glomp' Sasuke from behind, and was trying to restrain herself. She was the third member of the 'idiot trio. She was usually fighting with Sakura; she seemed to be Sakura's rival and a Sasuke 'freak' to top it off. Naruto would normally rescue his friend from the annoying fan girl as she would literally 'jump' him in public. Naruto and Sakura were eyeing her carefully, in case the blonde girl tried anything.

"Yeah! Found you all!" A new and even louder voice re-sounded in the room and everyone turned in that direction towards the newcomer.

"So, I see that everyone is here," the loud and somewhat annoying voice continued. It was a tall boy who had red tattoos on his cheeks that reminded Naruto of triangles, and a small, white dog on his head. He was accompanied by a shy girl, and another taller boy with sunglasses.

The shy girl, with blue-ish, purple hair, and weird eyes offered a shy 'hello.' Naruto looked over at her and as soon as he did, she blushed and looked down and away from him. Her name was Hyuuga Hinata and Naruto could never figure out why she would always look away from him when he would try to talk to her or even look at her. She was definitely a shy girl with few words.

The boy with the dog on his head was Inuzuka Kiba and his dog, Akamaru. Naruto felt that this boy was way more annoying than him, if that was even possible, because the guy held a weird aura around him that made Naruto scrunch up his nose unpleasantly. He always carried his dog with him and acted like he was the boss of everyone. He was an arrogant prick, and Naruto disliked him immensely.

The taller boy with sunglasses was Aburame Shino and Naruto didn't really know him all that well, but he did know that he was the kind of person that Naruto wasn't good with for sure. Shino was also a person of few words and a bit creepy.

"What? So you three made it too? Geez. . . " Shikamaru said lazily as he sighed and put his hands in his pants pockets.

"I see, so all nine Genin rookies this year are going to take the exam," Kiba stated as he put his hands on his hips nonchalantly. "How far do you think you can get, Naruto?" the brunette taunted the short blonde with a smirk that showed the world his fangs.

Naruto felt a vein pop as he heard that arrogant tone being used with him. He shook his fist at Kiba and began screaming at the grinning boy. "Shut up, Kiba! I'll make it a hell of a lot farther than you!"

"We'll see about that. Just because you're the Yondaime's son, doesn't mean you'll just breeze your way through this," Kiba snorted as he turned his head to the side and peered at the furious blonde from the corner of his eye. Sasuke shook his head. Those two were always going at it. Naruto just needed to learn to ignore Kiba's type.

"You think I would use my father's title to get through the exam? I could care less about any of that! I trained hard for this; I don't plan to lose. . ." Naruto started to retort as his voice became lower and lower with each word, bringing a venomous tone to it, but Sasuke put his hand up to stop the blonde. He didn't want to them to get into a fight right here and now, it wasn't worth it.

"You seem to be pretty confidant, Kiba," Sasuke replied coolly as he ignored the glares he was given from his blonde friend.

"Of course! We trained like hell. We won't lose to you," Kiba boasted as he rubbed his nose.

"Oh yeah?" Naruto retorted, unable to keep quiet; this guy was just too arrogant! "Well, Sasuke and I don't plan on losing to the likes of you, dog-breath," Naruto went on hotly, pointing his finger at Kiba.

_Why did Naruto drag my name into this? _Sasuke thought as he looked over at the hot-tempered blonde. Kiba was about to reply something nasty, when a shy, quiet voice spoke first.

"I'm s-sorry, Naruto-kun. Kiba-k-kun didn't mean it t-that way," Hinata said shyly, pushing her fingers together in a nervous gesture as a blush spread across her pale cheeks.

Naruto looked over at Hinata, and she immediately looked down and away from him, her blush's color increasing.

_What's with that girl? _He wondered with an arched brow.

Sakura, who was trying to ignore the others banter, suddenly caught sight of everyone's expressions in the room; they didn't look happy with them.

"Um. . . guys. . . look," she pointed, as everyone followed her gaze.

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Kakashi had just watched his team – Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura – pass through the door to take the first part of the Chuunin exam, and his thoughts drifted back to a previous conversation he had with his former sensei the day before. . .

**Flashback**

"_Kakashi, are you sure that Naruto is ready for this? I know he passed the first test and all, but he only just graduated from the academy! He's only done one C-rank, well it turned out to be, B-rank mission. I still think that he could still benefit from more experience," Minato told Kakashi, who could hear the worry clearly in Minato's voice. It was still hard for him not to portray the overprotective parent. _

"_Sensei, I'm sure. They've more than met the minimum eight required missions to participate__, b__ut even beyond that, I've spent enough time with your son to know he's ready for this. He needs this kind of challenge," Kakashi answered __coolly as he looked at the worried face of his sensei, it wasn't a common expression on the normally easy going man's features._

_Minato bit his lip __as he sighed through his teeth.__ "__I. . .__ I just don't want to see him fail, or worse, get hurt or even killed. I'm also concerned about Kyuubi making another appearance. Unfortunately, you know as well as I the problems that are occurring with the seal." __Minato was biting his lips so hard, they nearly began bleeding._

"_Hai, I do. Naruto is going to need some more training to help him control Kyuubi's power. However, all shinobi have to take risks, you said so yourself. Ninja only become strong with faced with life-or-death situations," Kakashi reminded him._

"_Yeah, I know__—__ it's just that__—__ he's not just another shinobi__! __He's my son__. . .__" Minato said the last part quietly._

_Kakashi nodded in understanding. The kind of attachment that Minato had with his son was something he had felt with his own father__, b__ut when his father killed himself, Kakashi thought that completing missions and following the rules were more important. After being trained by Minato, he had changed his view once again. _

_Minato sighed deeply __as he didn't get an answer from the grey haired man.__ "Very well, I won't second guess your decision," he finally conceded. _

"_Arigatou, sensei. You won't regret this," Kakashi told him with his eye smile._

**End of Flashback**

"Although I said that, maybe Naruto is scared now," Kakashi said to himself, looking towards the door again.

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Naruto started to shake uncontrollably, with his head down, covering his face. Sasuke looked over at him, with a concerned facial expression on his features.

_Surely, he's not scared, is he?_ the raven thought, as he saw his friend shaking. _That just wouldn't be like the Naruto I know. What's wrong with him?_

_Wow, even Naruto-kun seems nervous, _Sakura thought, with a worried look as she studied her team mate. _It's not surprising though. Even though we're all Genins, we're just rookies. I feel uneasy about it too, but__. . .__ seeing Naruto-kun like this is kind of hard. Maybe I should cheer up him up__?_

"Ne, Naruto-kun? You don't need to be that scared—" Sakura began, but stopped when she saw him clenching his fists, as if in anger, not out of nervousness.

Suddenly, Naruto turned around and pointed his finger at the whole group in room, shouting in a loud voice that made the people closest to the blonde; bring their hands to their ears. "My name is Namikaze Naruto! I'm not going to lose to any of you! Got that?"

Outside the door, Kakashi smiled, when the words reached his ears; he needn't have worried. And neither should Minato. He would have to tell the older blonde about this.

_That's more like the Naruto-kun I know! _The pinkette thought as she smiled a sincere smile.

"Ah, that felt good," Naruto said, smiling and placing his hands behind his head; a broad grin on his facial features.

Sasuke looked surprised at him and then smirked; that was so like his friend to do something like that, even if it did provoke everyone in the room. That's one of the things Sasuke admired about Naruto; he had guts and wasn't afraid to show it. He should have known that Naruto wasn't scared, but rather excited by the prospect of tangling with very strong shinobi and kicking their asses back to where they came from. The raven shook his head. He didn't think that the younger blonde didn't even have the word fear – or anything else related to it – in his mental dictionary.

However, no one else in the room seemed impressed at all with Naruto's proclamation, but rather the opposite; the tension in the room tripled after the loud blonde's exclamation, and its occupants hated the blonde even more than before, and that sure said something.

"'I'm not going to lose to any of you?' You talk too big, Naruto," Kiba said, rubbing his nose with his right index finger, while Akamaru barked in agreement.

_What is Naruto trying to do? Make everyone here his enemy?_ Shikamaru thought sourly as he arched a brow but quickly let it fall down again; it was too troublesome to keep it up.

Suddenly, there was a puff of smoke and a loud voice saying four words that made the temperature in the room rise immensely. "Quiet down, you punks!" That got everyone's attention quickly.

After the smoke cleared, there appeared several ninjas who had to be the examiners, and Naruto recognized some of them since he'd seen them in his father's office a few times.

The person who had spoken had two scars running down his face. "Sorry to keep you waiting," he said in a monotonous voice. "I am the examiner of the 1st test of the Chuunin Selection Exam, Morino Ibiki."

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Minato was in his office, working on a huge pile of paperwork that he'd forgotten do sign before the exam, so he was cursing himself like madman; he wanted to check and see how Naruto was doing, or at least get it out of Kakashi, how he was doing. He chewed his lower lip anxiously.

_Damn this paperwork, why does it always pile up so fast?_ He thought bitterly and put down his brush, turning in his chair, and then stared out the window.

His thoughts turned once again to his son; Naruto should be taking the first part of the exam right now. Minato frowned and bit his lip again, any wonder why it hadn't bleed yet from all the biting; he knew Naruto would have a hard time with the first part of the exam, and he could only hope that Naruto would figure out what to do. . .

_Stop worrying!_ He told himself. _Naruto will do fine__. . ._

Minato suddenly got up and left his office. _The paperwork can wait. _ He slammed open his door and left in such a hurry that several Jounin stared after him in surprise.

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Minato found Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma, sitting together in the lounge for Jounins, and asked if he could join them. _Kakashi, you're just the guy I wanted to see._

"Of course, Hokage-sama," Asuma told him with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, as usual. Minato was truly surprised that none of his students had began smoking as well.

"Escaping your responsibilities again, sensei?" Kakashi teased while Minato threw him sour look.

"Kakashi, did…Naruto seem okay when he went into the exam room?" The blonde asked, trying not to sound too nervous. Kakashi knew he was though.

"Actually, he made quite an interesting, and loud proclamation to everyone in the room that he wasn't going to lose to any of them," Kakashi answered casually, looking at his sensei with a lazy eye.

That got Minato to laugh a little, and worry less. "That's Naruto alright. No doubt he's made an enemy out every single person in that room."

"Aa. Things sure are boring right now, without our students," the grey haired commented lazily.

"Yeah, but it will get interesting soon," Asuma chimmed in, knowingly as he removed the drag from his mouth and shook it a few times, getting rid of some ashes, before he brought it back to his mouth again.

"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked, raising his one visible brow as he peered at the well-built man next to him.

"Morino Ibiki is their examiner for the written exam," Asuma stated plainly as he grinned a little; it was good for them to have such an examiner, they'd get used to the tough stuff easier that way.

Kakashi looked over at Minato with the still raised brow. "You used that sadist?"

Minato smiled knowingly as he shrugged his shoulders. "I have my reasons," he answered cryptically and scratched his cheek.

"Who's that?" Kurenai finally spoke up, having no clue who they were talking about.

"Since you're relatively new Jounin, you don't know him, but he specializes in torture and interrogation," Minato explained as Kurenai looked shocked. "Don't worry," he quickly reassured her though. "There's no physical torture going on, but the students are experiencing mental pressure to be sure, Ibiki is Konoha ANBU's torture and interrogation squad leader." The blonde smiled a little as the woman frowned along with Asuma, but Kakashi's eye turned to an upside down 'u', knowing exactly what this all was about.

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Naruto was sitting at the long table inside room 301, chewing his lower lip nervously. He was undergoing serious mental pressure for sure and he wasn't sure he could endure it; it was going to last an hour. He was trying to make it through the thing that he feared and hated most. . . a written exam. . . the questions were impossibly hard. . .he was separated from his teammates…what the hell was he supposed to do? He glanced nervously at the clock. Time was running out…

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"Ibiki understands human psychology, to such a degree that he can drive a person to a corner, mentally, control his mind, and bully him. He can find a person's weakness, and bring it to the surface," Minato continued his explanation of Ibiki, as the others listened. "Which is why he's the best at what he does. We have to weed out the numerous potential Chuunins somehow. I thought this was the best way."

The Jounins were silent, looking at each other, each wondering how their team was faring in this situation.

"I'm curious as to how Naruto will handle him," Minato said more to himself than the others, but Kakashi heard him though and smiled a little. _More than that, can he handle the written exam? Will he know what to do? _ The blonde thought, as he considered Naruto's plight.

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The dreaded exam was finally over and those who passed figured out how to do so. The exam promoted cheating without getting caught; it was a test of their gathering information abilities, and then there was the final question – that Ibiki. . . he was a real sadist – had been tricky, but all nine rookies passed. Several people had failed or given up under the pressure, but surprisingly, quite a few made it.

Near the end of the exam, Naruto had given quite an inspiring speech that seemed to lift the remaining student's spirits and it had made Sakura sigh in awe at the blonde's words and his ability to inspire others and not give up. Sasuke too, thought highly of the blonde. Naruto had a lot of guts and though he sometimes put his foot in his mouth, Naruto was truly a piece of work.

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were walking back together after the exam as Naruto exclaimed loudly, "Wow, I'm glad that part is over. I hate paper tests!" Sakura put a finger in her ear. Seriously, didn't the hyper blonde know how loud he was? Her ear was ringing since she was standing right next to him.

"It's a good thing that it promoted cheating, eh, _dobe_**(1)**?" Sasuke teased him with the infamous Uchiha smirk plastered on his lips.

The blonde threw him a withering look. "Ha-ha. Real funny, _Sasuke_," he retorted, emphasizing his friend's name, his nose scrunched up in irritation; the raven had so little faith in him. "So, how soon did you guys know what was going on?" he asked them, as his teammates wondered if he was bipolar. From mad to happy in a few milliseconds?

"I actually answered all the questions," Sakura answered as hearing had finally returned. "I didn't need to cheat, but I did figure out pretty early on what everyone else had to do to pass."

"Well, you were probably about the only one smart enough to pull that off, Sakura-san," Naruto complimented her, making said pinkette blush slightly. Naruto could be so nice, if only he would notice her in a different way than just a teammate! And influence Sasuke to do the same!

"I figured it out quickly also," Sasuke put in as he put his hands in his pockets. "I just used my Sharingan, to copy the guy in front of me, who knew the answers."

"That's smart, Sasuke-kun," Sakura chimmed in.

Sasuke gave Naruto sideways glance and the blonde noticed the challenging look in those dark pools.

"What about you, Naruto?" he asked. "How did you get through it?"

Sakura looked interested too. Naruto looked down, covering his eyes. "Oh, it's not all that interesting," he tried to brush it off with a nervous grin, but his teammates noticed that there was something else behind that smile of his.

"Oh, come on! We know how you are at written tests. You said you figured out that you could cheat without getting caught. Tell us how you did it!" Sasuke pushed his friend as he grinned sadistically.

"I— well you see. I— damn it! Hinata let me copy off of her, happy?" Naruto mumbled, but Sasuke heard him, clearly.

"Hinata, eh? Maybe she likes you," the raven teased him with that smirk showing itself again.

"What!? No way!" the blonde adamantly denied with a small blush on his nose.

Sakura frowned, as she tuned out the two friends bickering back and forth, Naruto hotly denying Sasuke's playful accusations. _She does like him. I should know, I feel the same way. He's just too dense to see it. Hell, I'd be happy if either Sasuke-kun or Naruto-kun would notice me in a romantic way. _Sakura sighed as barely heard the loud conversation right next her, lost in her own thoughts. _Boys!_

"I wonder what the next part will be like," Naruto wondered out loud, finally getting his raven-haired friend to stop teasing him. The others shrugged. "Well, whatever is it, I'll blow it away!" he boasted, with both hands behind his head.

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Minato had been very pleased that Naruto had figured out how to pass the first part of the exam, even though Naruto had given him an earful about how sadistic Ibiki was, how unfair the test was, and so on.

Minato's ears were still ringing after the young blonde had finished his rant. "Are you quite finished, son?" he asked Naruto with a slight smirk.

The shorter blonde scrunched up his face in deep thought, making sure he told his father everything he had been through. "I think so," he answered at last.

"Good. How about getting some ramen at Ichiraku's to celebrate your success so far?" the older blonde suggested.

Naruto's eyes went twice their normal size and Minato swore he saw big sparkles in them. He had apparently said the right thing. "Really, you mean it?" he gushed excitedly.

"Of course! Anything for my little kawaii**(2)** son," Minato cooed, earning him a glare from the younger blonde.

"Tou-san, don't call me _that,_" he huffed indignantly, as he folded his arms across his chest and continued his glare. Minato chuckled and just ruffed his- now pouty-son's hair affectionately.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**xxX **

**TBC**

**AN: Not much to say this time, except I hope for those of you who are reading, are enjoying this. **

**1. Dobe-dead last**

**2. Kawaii-cute  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**My Way of the Ninja**

**Chapter 4**

**Beta'd and helped by: MrsHellman**

**Disclamier: Don't own Naruto ever, dattebayo!  
**

The next morning, the 12 teams that had passed the first exam gathered together near a special forest that was completely gated off, with the doors locked. On the gate was a sign that read, 'Danger! Stay Out!' causing most of the competitors to frown in confusion. What the hell was going on?

Currently, they were being given their instructions for the second part of the exam by Mitarashi Anko, a weird woman in Naruto's opinion; she had just busted in at the end of the first exam, real flashy and showy, and to top it off; she also had a kind of creepy look about her. It gave Naruto the shivers.

"Welcome to the stage for the second test, Arena 44, also known as the 'Forest of Death'," the purple haired woman began and everyone looked at her with puzzlement on their faces, but Anko didn't care, she simply went on. "You'll find out soon enough why it's called the Forest of Death." She smirked at them as those last words left her lips.

Naruto couldn't simply keep quiet after hearing those words. "You think that scares me?! That's nothing! I'm not afraid!" he shouted, as Sauske and Sakura looked over at their overly enthusiastic teammate. Did he have to announce things like that? Everyone was eyeing the blonde with dislike.

_Ah, the Yondaime's son, he's almost as cute as his father,_ Anko thought, as she studied the blonde with narrowed eyes and a smirk gracing her lips. She suddenly disappeared and reappeared behind the oblivious boy she'd been eying.

"You're quite spirited," she told him in his hear, rubbing his whiskered cheek, with her hand and giving it a playful tap.

Naruto was completely taken off guard by this. It was not was he was expecting. _E__w. . . __she's even creepier than I first thought,_ he shuddered, as the woman fawned over him.

"Now, before we start the second test, there's something I have to pass out," Anko told the group, holding up some papers with the hand she'd just recently caressed a scared cheek with. "You must sign these agreement forms."

Everyone looked puzzled by this. "What?" Naruto blurted out from in front of her, as he turned around so that he could look her in the eyes and make sure that she wasn't joking or something akin to that.

"There will be deaths from now on, and so if I don't have you sign these, it will be my responsibility," she laughed, as if people dying were the funniest thing in the world. "I'm going to explain the second test, you can sign the forms, and then turn them in at the booth behind me," Anko went on as she handed Naruto the papers, and after taking one, passed them on. "Simply put, you will attempt the ultimate survival, in this area," she held up a map that showed the area. "During the survival in here, you will be asked to complete a certain task. Using your weapons, and jutsu, you will compete in a no rules scroll battle," she finished seriously, holding up one of each scroll.

_Scrolls?_ Sasuke thought as he looked up from studying the paper he now had in his hands.

"You will fight over these two scrolls, the 'heaven' and 'earth.' Half of you will get 'heaven,' and the other half, 'earth.' Your team must make it to the tower in the center of Area 44, with both scrolls to pass this test." The woman studied the kids in front of her, with that smirk still in place. She wanted to get a reaction out of them, and seemed like she was doing a pretty good job of it.

"Half the teams will definitely fail," Sakura pointed out as her extremely fast conclusion ability kicked in.

"That's not all," Anko said, while nodding at the pinkette, as a 'good job' gesture for thinking that one through. "There's also time limit. This test will last 120 hours – exactly five days. You'll be on your own for food. Just watch out for man-eating beasts, poisonous insects and plants, not to mention being surrounded by enemies on all sides. In summary, not only will some fail by losing the scroll, but some will die from the harshness of the course."

Everyone looked pretty determined by this information; they were beginning to understand the seriousness of this test. It wasn't going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination.

"Now, I will tell you what will disqualify you. First; those of you that don't make it to the tower with both scrolls within the time limit. Second; those who lose a teammate or a teammate die. And three – as a rule you cannot quit halfway through – you have to remain in the forest for five days," the purple-haired woman explained as she held up a finger for each of those three rules.

_Mendokuse_**(1)**_,_ Shikamaru thought with a yawn as he removed some earwax from his right war with his pinky finger.

"One final rule," Anko warned them. "You must not look at the inside of the scroll until you make it to the tower."

"What happens if you do?" Naruto asked, with a raised brow as he scratched his scared cheek with a finger.

"That will be a surprise for anyone who does," Anko answered with a smirk that made the majority of the people shiver; that was _so_ not a good sign. "A Chuunin will be asked to handle classified information. This is to test your trustworthiness."

Naruto looked at her questioningly. _That sounds weird,_ he thought with his blonde brows furrowed.

"Now, exchange your forms for your scrolls, choose an entrance and get ready to start!" Anko paused for a moment as she looked at the teams with narrowed eyes. "A final word of advice. . . don't die."

Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura sat down as they waited for their turn to get their scroll. Sasuke was observing the proceedings. "Hey, look at that," he said to the others. "We can't tell which team gets which scroll, or who's carrying it."

"Interesting," Naruto said, as he watched the others. "In this test, we have to risk our lives fighting for information, and since everyone here is so determined, I understand now why there will be killing."

Sakura went wide-eyed at this and turned towards Naruto with her hands clenched under her chin. "You're right, Naruto-kun. We'll have to be careful."

"No worries, Sakura-san. We won't lose, and I'll kick anyone's ass that gets near us," Naruto boasted as he pointed his thumb into his chest; Sasuke smirked at his friend and shook his head in disbelief and amusement – it was so like the blonde, as if the raven couldn't do the same thing.

Soon enough; everyone finally got their scrolls and made their way to an entrance.

"Yosh! Let's go!" Naruto shouted as their gate opened they got the go ahead to begin.

As they made their way deeper and deeper in the dark forest, Team Seven suddenly heard some screaming out in agony that made Sakura's body to go rigid.

_So, it begins,_ Sasuke thought sourly as his eyes turned to where he'd heard the scream emitted from.

Naruto and Sakura looked behind them, and followed the raven's glare. "Was that. . . someone screaming?" Sakura asked nervously as she gulped.

"Listen, up, guys," the raven told the pinkette and the blonde. "Everyone out there is our enemy. If one of us gets separated, we won't know who is who, we could be tricked easily. So I have a plan. . ." he told the other two as they listened and nodded as they understood what the boy had in mind.

"You're more than just looks after all, Sasuke," Naruto told him playfully, as the raven bopped his blonde friend on the head in response.

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Time wore on, and five days were almost up. Team Seven had been through hell. They were attacked by two different teams, in an attempt to steal their scroll, but Team Seven prevailed, thanks to good teamwork, excellent taijutsu and ninjutsu by Sasuke and Naruto, and Sakura's good analytical skills. In the last battle they had, the team gave up their scroll, which happened to be the one that they needed. Knowing that their time was short, team seven hurried inside the tower, breathing a sigh of relief.

"There's no one here," Naruto observed, as Sakura and Sasuke looked around the big, empty room they had just entered after getting out of that 'hell'.

Suddenly though, they saw a quick blur of yellow light and what felt like wind rushing past them. "It's…it's…no way!" the blonde gasped, when he recognized who it was, though he already knew the minute he saw the blur of yellow light, he was just shocked with disbelief.

The figure raised his hand in greeting. "Hey there!"

"Hokage-sama?" Sasuke and Sakura said simultaneously, also shocked by the Yondaime's sudden appearance.

"Tou-san? What the hell are you doing here?" Naruto asked with an accusing finger pointed towards the blonde man, shock visible in the younger blonde's eyes.

Minato chuckled as he shrugged his shoulders in a casual manner. "I wanted to be here personally to greet each winning team," he explained to the three genin who were still in shock. "I appear each time someone comes through the door," he winked at them. "It's my little secret," he said, grinning at them madly.

"What _secret,_ Tou-san? It's why you're called the 'Yellow Flash,'" Naruto answered sardonically. "Everyone knows that," he added with a snort. His father was attempting to be cool and mysterious and it wasn't coming off well, it was rather embarrassing for the younger blonde.

The older blonde shrugged again, and rubbed the back of his head, sheepishly. He studied the three genins before him for a moment before he said, "Looks like you three have been through a lot of trouble," he added, noting their ragged and visibly exhausted appearance. Pulling out a watch from his pocket, he checked the time. "You just made it in time. Congratulations on passing the Second Exam," he proclaimed, happily, as Team Seven was still trying to recover from all of this. "So, open your scrolls now," he instructed, as he waited for them, with a tinkle in his eye.

Sakura and Naruto opened the scrolls. At first they were blank and then the words suddenly appeared. Sasuke looked over Naruto's shoulder, reading the words as well.

Naruto looked up at his father quizzically. "Without 'heaven?' What the hell does that mean?"

"It looks like some words are missing," Sakura pointed out.

The taller blonde chuckled. "I'll explain that in a minute. I'm wondering though, if the thought has occurred to you what would have happened if you had opened the scrolls before you got here?"

All three genins concentrated in thought. "What would have happened Tou-san? Tell us!" the shorter blonde begged.

"Part of this exam was to test your ability to perform missions correctly. So, if you had broken the rule about opening the scrolls…" Minato trailed off mischievously.

Naruto huffed with impatience. "Well?" he demanded as Sakura and Sasuke were eager to know also, but were better at hiding it than their teammate.

The taller blonde grinned evilly. "My orders were to put anyone who opened the scroll prematurely in a state of unconsciousness for the reminder of the exam."

Naruto and Sakura sweatdropped and breathed a visible sigh of relief. Sasuke gave them a very knowing look.

"But I'm sure _you _were _never_ tempted to look," Minato told them, with a very serious expression on his face, emphasizing certain words, since the looks the three genin gave each other was telling enough what had happened. Naruto laughed nervously, putting his head behind his head. Changing back to his happy, grinning self again, the taller blonde went on. "So, I was thinking of treating you all to ramen, to celebrate but…" the older blonde began again, but he didn't get to finish his sentence, as Naruto suddenly glomped him around the middle, nearly knocking the older blonde over by his enthusiasm.

"Yatta!" Naruto yelled, hugging his father tightly. "That's the best reward ever!"

"Oi! Naruto let me finish—" Minato tried, but Naruto was too focused on the ramen; his son had a one track mind when it came to ramen. The older blonde signed and shook his head, smiling fondly at his son, and rubbed the top of his head, affectionately.

"Ramen, ramen! I did well! I'm the best," Naruto shouted with glee as Sakura and Sasuke collapsed to the ground, feeling exhausted but relieved.

_He sure is one energetic guy,_ the raven thought as he watched his friend bounce up and down with sheer joy. _Where does he get it from? One would think to look at him that he just didn't spend five days in killer forest! Only Naruto would be happy about ramen, what a ramen freak__. . ._

_That's Naruto-kun, _Sakura thought as she too watched the energetic blonde. _He's amazing!_

"Now, about the scrolls. Let me explain the meaning. It's very important," the taller of the two blondes began seriously, but was interrupted by a shorter, louder blonde.

"Who the hell cares?" the said blonde shouted. "We passed! That's all that matters," he went on, as Sakura and Sasuke rubbed their ears.

"Be patient, Naruto," Minato scolded mildly. "Everyone needs to hear this, especially you," he continued, tapping his son's nose, earning the taller blonde a glare from the younger. "It's important and the foundation for everything you will do from now on. It's the principal that I came up with that you should keep in mind as a Chuunin. Deeply inscribe into your heart the importance of knowledge and strength in missions. Do that, and any mission will be less dangerous and even easy." The older blonde looked at the three Genins with an amused look on his facial features.

"That's it?" Naruto grumbled, impatiently. He could hear the ramen calling him.

The taller blonde signed and continued if he didn't hear Naruto. "The survival mission you took part in these past five days tested the basic abilities of the examinees as a Chuunin, and you guys completed it. A Chuunin is a commander-class. He has a duty to lead a team, never forget the Chuunin principal, as you go on to the next step," he finished, folding his arms over his chest.

"And the next step is?" the young blonde prompted hopefully.

"You'll find out tomorrow," Minato answered evasively as he reached over and rubbed his son's hair in a playful manner, messing up his already tousled blonde locks. The younger blonde glared daggers at him. "It will be very difficult at best, so be ready."

Naruto groaned audibly. "How can we be ready, when we don't know what 'it' is?" he huffed, angrily, folding his arms across his chest.

"Hn. I _was_ still thinking about treating you to ramen. . ." Minato trailed off, acting as if he might not take them.

"Really? Let's go!" Naruto gushed, quickly forgetting his anger and practically dragging his father behind him, leaving Sasuke and Sakura to catch up with the hyperactive blonde.

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The following day, everyone who had passed the second part of the Chuunin exam were now gathered together. All of Rookie Nine passed the second exam, along with some foreign ninja from Mist, Grass, and Cloud. It seemed as if those from Konoha were the youngest of the competitors, but that wouldn't stop them from doing their best to win.

The Jounins and the examiners were also present. Minato was donning his traditional Hokage cloak along with the trademark hat, and Naruto thought the hat looked funny on his father, and often teased him about it. Minato himself, didn't really like to wear the hat much, but did so only for special occasions, such as this.

_He's so dreamy,_ thought Sakura and Ino together as they gazed at Minato with stars and hearts in their eyes. Naruto, who was standing next to them, along with Sasuke, noticed this and snorted. He knew what they were thinking about his father. _Girls!_

"First off, congratulations on passing the Second Exam," Minato started as he smiled at the competitors in front of him. _Interesting that _this _group remained, _he thought as he looked out at the group. _Leaf, __C__loud, __G__rass and Mist, on top of that, most of them are new. The ones from Leaf are all rookies__, so there's no__ wonder they recommended them,_ he thought as he looked at Asuma, Kurenai and Kakashi, who were standing behind him.

The tall blonde cleared his throat and then stepped forward so that he could be seen more clearly. "Let me explain what we are going to do next. Since there are quite a few of you who are left to compete, we'll do the third exam over a period of a few days, allowing all of you a chance to fight. I'll tell you details of that soon, however, before I do that, there's one thing I want to make clear to all of you," he said very seriously.

_Oh come on, Tou__-__san, get on with it,_ Naruto fidgeted impatiently and as if his father had read his thoughts, Naruto caught his stern glance and ceased.

"It's about the true purpose of this exam," Minato went on. "Why we do a joint exam with the allied nations."

_Yeah, yeah, it's to maintain good relations with the allied nations and heighten the level of ninja__. . ._ the younger blonde rolled his eyes; he had heard that before.

"Don't misunderstand the statement 'to maintain good relations with the allied nations or heighten the level of ninja,'" the blonde Hokage said, shocking Naruto completely as the younger blonde looked at his father, surprise written on his face. "The exam is. . ." he paused dramatically and smiled wickedly, "A replacement for war among the allied nations."

"What do you mean?" Naruto blurted out as he waved his arms up and down, not understanding why his father had to be so— so— indirect about everything. Why couldn't he just explain things clearly?

"If we go back through history, the allied nations now were neighboring countries that have fought each other over and over again," he answered as he arched a brow at Naruto's outburst. "To avoid military power, those countries decided to choose a place to fight. . . that is the beginning of the Chuunin Selection Exam," the Yondaime Hokage explained.

"What? Why do we have to do that?" the younger of the two blondes blurted out again. "I thought this was about selecting Chuunins?"

Minato closed his eyes briefly, feeling a headache coming on produced by a certain blonde son of his. "Yes, this Exam does examine those who are worthy of the Chuunin title, but, it also is a place where ninja fight and carry their country dignity. During this third exam, feudal lords and famous people from various countries who may be potential clients are invited here as guests," Minato explained to everyone, but answering Naruto's question. He had to see the younger blonde as a competitor and not just his son right now. "These people will see your battles. If there's a significant difference in power, the strong country will be flooded with jobs. If a country is weak, their jobs will decrease; at the same time, countries are able to show how their village has grown and possess excellent military power to the adjacent countries. In simple terms, they can put pressure on them."

"So why do we have to fight with the risk of losing our lives?" Sasuke demanded with a hand in the air. "Hokage-sama," the raven added due to respect.

"A country's power is the village's power," Minato answered him. "A village's power is the ninja's power and a ninja's true power is only born in life-or-death battle. This exam is also a place to show off the ninja power of one's county, since this is an exam where you fight with your life on the line, it has a meaning. Your predecessors have fought and dreamed of being in the Chuunin Exam because of it."

"Hokage-sama, so having good relations with the other countries is a farce?" one of the foreign ninja asked with a hand in the air, just like Sasuke.

"I told you not to get confused with that," the Yondaime explained patiently. "The custom of shaving one's life and fighting to maintain balance... that is good relation in the world of ninja. This is a life-or-death battle for your dream and village's dignity."

Everyone seemed to now understand the real purpose of the Chuunin exam. Some look grim, others looked fiercely determined.

"I understand now," Naruto said, with a grin on his face. "Will you tell us the details now?" Minato couldn't help but smile to that comment; his son was so enthusiastic, and it only proved that he was Kushina's son as well as Minato's.

"Very well, it will consist of one on one fighting. You will fight as if in a real life confrontation, and you will paired up to battle each other," he went on to explain. "There are basically no rules; the fight continues until one of you is knocked out, or admits defeat. If you want to avoid life-threatening injuries, then quickly acknowledge your defeat. Gekkou Hayate—" Minato nodded over to a very sick looking ninja, who kept having coughing fits, and seemed like he would drop dead any minute, "—will referee the matches, and will decide the winner that has clearly been established and he'll jump in and stop things. However, because everyone will see your matches and you represent your countries, I'd like to show off all your powers with no reserves; which is why the finals will be held one month from now."

"We're not going to do right now?" Naruto asked confused and disappointed.

"This break – you can say – will be for preparations," the Hokage answered simply.

"What does that mean, Hokage-sama?" Sakura asked with her hand raised.

"Simply, we need time to inform all the country lords and shinobi leaders, and to arrange for the gathering of the event. You also need this time to prepare," Minato answered and the next few words, he spoke very seriously. "Take this time to get to know your enemy and yourself – you will be fighting with an unknown opponent, in actual combat. Use this time to advance and improve yourselves."

_Oh, I plan to use this time to improve, alright,_ Naruto thought as he smirked inwardly. _I'll get T__ou-san to help me!_ he rubbed his hands together in gleeful determination. As soon as his father dismissed them, he was would ask right away, before his father's attentions could be drawn elsewhere.

"Well, I'd like to dismiss you now. . . but there's something that has to be done for the finals before I can do that." Minato grinned as he saw the mixed facial expressions of the people in front of him.

Naruto looked up at this. "What the hell is it!?" he yelled angrily. "I've got to train now!"

"Namikaze Naruto!" his father scolded him in the same tone Naruto had just used, causing the younger blonde to cringe; his father could be really scary when he wanted to be. Minato couldn't allow Naruto to mouth off every time the young blonde felt like it, especially in public. Naruto had to learn how to behave as the son of Hokage. "Don't get excited—" Everyone except Sasuke, Sakura and Hinata, chuckled at the exchange, as Naruto's face turned quite red. "—you've got to be patient. Now, there are pieces of paper inside this box, and you each need to take one piece."

Everyone reached inside and took out one piece of paper and they all noticed that each on had a number on it.

"Now, then, I'd like you to tell us the number that's on the paper in order, starting from the left," Minato instructed as he pointed at the paper one of the Mist nins held in his hands.

Each person read off his or her number, while Ibiki recorded it.

"All right, and now I will reveal to you who will be fighting the final tournament!" Minato announced dramatically as he saw several eyes that were about to pop out of their hosts sockets.

"WHAT!?" Naruto yelled for what seemed like the millionth time that day, his eyes as big as saucers. "That's what we drew numbers for?! You can have told us that!" he accused angrily with a pout, making the older blonde grin sadistically.

This time, the older blonde tolerated the outburst. "What would be the fun in that?" he grinned wickedly at Naruto, who just glared. "Now, Ibiki, if you would please, show them the match arrangements," he directed to the scarred man.

Everyone waited on tender hooks as Ibiki showed them the paper. Everyone saw who they were fighting and as Naruto looked down the list, he saw something that completely shocked him – he was set up to fight Sasuke in the 4th match!

Naruto gasped at this information and his blonde brows furrowed. _The 4__th__ match is between Sasuke and me? In a life-or-death battle? He's my best friend__, damn it! I can't do that!_ His thoughts were in turmoil as he looked over at Sasuke.

The said raven looked over at Naruto, his face was neutral, but inside, his stomach was turning. So it had come down to this after all. He should have known it would. It was inevitable really. He just didn't think it would be this soon.

"Well then, you're free to start strategizing as you like. With this, I'll dismiss you, but are there any final questions?" Minato asked, looking around the room. Naruto seriously hoped there wasn't any, because he _had _talk to his father now!

"May I ask a question, Hokage-sama?" Shikamaru asked, with his hand in the air.

_Man, we're never going to get out of here at this rate, _Naruto thought angrily, momentarily forgetting about to fight against Sasuke – his best friend since childhood. _I want to train, damn it!_

"Yes? What is it Nara-san?" Minato answered politely, keenly aware of his son's internal struggle with a small smile on his face.

"Since this is a tournament, it would mean that there's only one winner, right? Which would mean that only one person can become a Chuunin, doesn't it?" Shikamaru asked with that lazy look on his facial features, but Minato could see that the young ninja was anxious.

Naruto's thoughts were interrupted when he heard this and he looked at his father with a scared look. He had never thought of that!

"No, that's not quite it. There will be judges, including myself, lords of various countries that will make mission requests and other ninja leaders who will be watching this final test. Throughout the tournament, these judges will be evaluating your abilities. . . those judged to have the necessary qualities of a Chuunin will be able to become a Chuunin even if they lose in their first match," Minato explained as he made different gestures with his hands.

"Then that means," Shikamaru began, "It's possible for everyone here to become a Chuunin?"

"Correct," Minato answered simply with a shrug of his shoulders. "However, the possibility also exists that no one will become a Chuunin. Did I answer your question, Shikamaru-kun?"

_Mendokusē__,_ Shikamaru thought sourly as he got his answer.

"To advance in the tournament means that you will have more chances to appeal to the judges. Well then, thanks for all your effort so far. You're dismissed until a month from now," Minato concluded and everyone filed out, except Sasuke and Naruto.

Naruto immediately went up to his father with an unreadable look on his facial features.

"Ne, ne, Tou-san?" he started to ask, excitedly.

"I already know what you're going to ask, Naruto," Minato started as he looked down to his son, amusement written on his face. His son was so easy to read. "You want me to train you, right?"

"Yes! Will you teach me some new jutsus? Please?" Naruto begged with his big blue eyes that reminded Minato of a puppy.

The older blonde smiled. "I'll see what I can do," he answered sincerely.

"Yatta! Thank you, Tou-san!" Naruto gushed, jumping up and down out of excitement, pumping his fists in the air.

Sasuke shook his head, as he watched Naruto's enthusiasm. His blonde friend was so energetic. As he watched Naruto and his father interact, the raven felt a small pang of jealousy over their closeness. The blonde was lucky to have the Yondaime for a father. Sasuke wished for that kind of relationship with his own father. Perhaps he could get his father to help with his training? Since he was fighting Naruto, and his father was going to help him train, the brunette had to train like hell, otherwise, he could possibly lose to the blonde. He shook his head. They had been best friends since they were seven. Sure, they'd spared, but they had never gone seriously at each other. What would the outcome be? Could Naruto seriously go at him? Could he? Naruto's loud voice interrupted the raven's musings.

"Oi! Sasuke? Are you there?" the blonde asked, waving his hand in front of his friend's face.

Sasuke swatted his hand away with a glare. "I was just thinking. . ." he said distantly as he closed his eyes for a brief second, his hand still in the air after removing the blonde's.

Naruto frowned at him for a moment and then said, "Think later! It's time to train! Unless you want me to kick your ass in the tournament," he taunted, shoving his friend towards the exit.

"We'll see who'll be kicking ass, _usuratonkachi,_**(****2****)**" Sasuke replied, calling Naruto by yet another name that the raven used occasionally, along with _dobe _and _baka._ It was one of those brotherly things they had going on between them, insulting each other playfully from time to time – but the young blonde was in such a good mood, that he didn't even notice what Sasuke said, he only continued to drag the brunette along.

"Oi, Naruto, slow down, I can move by myself!" Sasuke protested to no avail.

Minato watched the pair leave with a concerned frown on his face.

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**TBC (believe it!)  
**

(1) Mendokusē – troublesome, pain in the ass

(2) Usuratonkachi – useless, moron, idiot

**AN: I didn't state this earlier, but this an AU story, which is why I'm writing Sasuke the way I am. And also why Sakura likes both boys for different reasons. She may very well have liked Naruto more if she knew he was the Yondaime's son. It may be a stretch that Anko finds Minato attractive, but Jiraiya told Tsunade that he was handsome and popular, so hey, it's possible, that's why I made her a bit playful with Naruto. There's no Gaara or Sound ninja in the Chuunin exams, and I have reasons for it that you'll understand later on, k? Also, Gai's team already took the Chuunin exams the year before in this fic, so they are not present either. I took out the preliminaries, because it's too troublesome to write about that many fights, which I'm not good at all. So, sorry about that. I also did not want to write about everything that happens in the forest of death, either, which is why I summorized it. I have a different focus in this story. I can't write about that many complex characters, nor am I intending to re-write the original story, only using what I like and changing things a bit. There is a lot of canon in here, which I know can be boring, but necessary. It will get start to get pretty different after the next chapter, so bear with me! This is all necessary! **


	5. Chapter 5

My Way of the Ninja

**Chapter 5**

**Beta and Wonderful Helper: MrsHellman**

**Disclaimer: I could never hope to own Naruto, so don't even think it!**

**AN: For those of you who love Minato/Naruto goodness, here's a whole chapter of it! You know who you are!**

Minato and Naruto were standing in the Hokage's private training grounds, and Naruto was beyond excited that his father was going to teach him a new jutsu. It was about time, really. This was pretty rare between the two Namikazes; for Minato to take time to do something like this when being a busy Hokage. The older blonde purposefully made time in his busy schedule to train Naruto personally; he had a special technique in mind to show him, and he knew how much it would mean to his son. Really, they hadn't really been seeing that much of each other lately, with Naruto's missions, and Minato's duties as Hokage, mostly just in passing, so this was really special for both of them.

"I'm going to show you a secret technique that I've been saving just for you, Naruto," his father told the younger blonde with a huge grin. The said blonde was currently jumping up and down out of pure excitement.

"Anou sa, Anou sa, Tou-san! Is it a killer, kick-ass move?" Naruto gushed, hopping sideways now, being unable to contain his excitement.

"Whoa, slow down, Naruto," the taller blonde told him, placing his hands on his son's shoulders in an effort to calm him down. "Before I teach you this move, I need to talk to you more about the Kyuubi's chakra."

"Huh? What about it?" Naruto asked curiously, titling his head slightly as he looked at his father. He wasn't jumping right and left anymore either, he was simply standing there.

"Kyuubi's chakra can give you enormous power. It's part of why you also have incredible stamina, and why you can do Kage Bunshin very well. However," Minato turned very serious here and that made Naruto frown. "Using too much of Kyuubi's chakra could be very dangerous to your body, so you have to use it wisely and sparingly," he warned him. "I'm going to teach you how to use it safely."

"Ossu!" Naruto answered with a fist in the air.

"Okay. Now, based off of what happened during your mission in the Land of Waves, it would seem that danger and intense emotions are the keys to calling upon the Chakra of the Kyuubi. The move I want to teach you, you won't be able to do with your normal chakra. So what we need to do is teach you how to call upon the Kyuubi's chakra at time of need," the blonde Hokage explained for his son who was nodding his head furiously – eager to learn.

"And the move is. . ." Naruto asked impatiently. He wanted to get to the technique already.

"It's called _Kuchiyose no Jutsu, _or summoning technique. You can make contracts with animals using your blood and then you can call them up anytime you want. It's a type of temporal-spatial technique," Minato explained patiently with small gestures of his hands.

"Wow, that sounds really cool, Tou-san!" the shorter blonde gushed excitedly, with a wide grin on his face. "Hurry and teach me, then!" he begged, and it wouldn't surprise Minato if the small blonde – out of pure energy and hyperactivity – would fall down on his _bare knees_ and beg.

"Before we can start, we need to do an exercise that will help you to control your chakra better," Minato told him as he tried to ignore the mental image of his son on the ground, begging him for something.

"Exercise?" Naruto questioned with his head tilted to the left. "Like what?"

"Walking on water," his father answered simply as Naruto looked very confused. "It will help you to build stamina and chakra control that you need like you use would in battle," he explained with a small shrug. "I heard that Kakashi taught you tree climbing in the Land Waves. Walking on water is a variation of that. Now, let's go to river and we can practice there."

"Okay," Naruto agreed, somewhat reluctantly; he really wanted to learn the summoning jutsu right away.

At the river, Minato gave Naruto some more instructions. "In order to float on water, you must always expel the appropriate amount of chakra into the water from your feet and make it match only to the amount necessary to make your float. It's more difficult than the tree climbing because it's meant to be used to create a set amount of chakra needed to expel for the use of jutsu," the older blonde explained as he smiled at his son's confused face.

"I'm not sure I get it, Tou-san," the small blonde complained with a pout on those rosy lips.

"Alright, Naruto, I'll show you how to do it," the older blonde told him with his soft smile widening. Naruto was always very visual when it came to learning.

The Hokage walked out onto the water and stopped so he could turn around to face his son who was still standing by the shore. "First, you gather the chakra to your feet, and then, as you continually expel a set amount of charka, you match it to the weight of your body." Minato was now standing in the middle of the river, his face spilt with a grin.

"W-wow! That's really cool, Tou-san!" Naruto gushed when he saw his father standing on top of the water.

Minato smiled; Naruto wasn't hard to impress. "Now, you try it, son."

"Yosh!" _Gather chakra to my feet, and then expel a set amount,_ he thought as he gathered his chakra. Then, he took a few steps onto the water and promptly fell in, getting himself soaked.

"Damn! It's freezing!" Naruto yelled as his head surfaced out of the water, his teeth chattering.

Minato stifled a chuckle at the expression his son wore. "Language, son, but you should try again. Remember this is difficult. It will most likely take at least a few tries."

_I'm going to get this no matter how many times it takes,_ Naruto thought determinedly as he tried again, but with the same result as with the first try. He fell a couple more times, but wouldn't give up, even though he was really getting cold.

_Perhaps we should have done this in the hot springs,_ Minato thought as he watched Naruto try yet again and fail. _At least it would have been warmer, but perhaps too hot._

Naruto tried again, and this time he managed to stay on the water, but was very wobbly on his feet.

_Hmm__. . .__ impressive that he was able to grasp the concept of this kind of chakra control so quickly,_ Minato thought, smiling to himself. _I thought it might take him longer, but then again, he is __**my**__ son after all. _The Yondaime smiled proudly at the thought of son being strong thanks to him – if Kushina had been there, she'd probably smacked him over the head for being so big-headed.

After a few more tries, Naruto finally got it and was able to balance perfectly on top of the water.

"Yatta! Look at me, Tou-san! I'm doing it!" Naruto called as he jumped in the air, landing on the water without falling.

Minato watched him with a big grin on his face. "Great job, Naruto! I knew you could do it, but now that you've gotten down chakra control well, I can start teaching you the summoning jutsu."

"Yes!" the blonde teen shouted out of joy as he jumped up and down some more.

Minato shook his head in amusement, as he arched a blonde brow. "Let's get you dried off, and then we'll go back home to the private grounds and we'll train there.

"Ossu!" Naruto agreed heartily.

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Back at Minato's private training grounds, said blonde began to teach Naruto how to perform the summoning jutsu. It wasn't an overly complicated jutsu, but it depended on a lot of chakra. At Naruto's current level, Minato knew that his son would have to use Kyuubi's chakra to perform the summoning. It was a bit risky, but it would be worth it. He could always step in, if things got out of control.

"Okay Naruto, you must first use up all of your normal chakra," Minato told his son, as the teen looked up at his father with a determined look on his facial features.

"Yosh! I can use _Kage Bunshin no jutsu_ for that!" Naruto shouted as he produced about 30 clones, using his familiar cross that he made with his fingers.

"That's a great way to do it, Naruto," Minato smiled at the teen with an arched brow; Naruto was one of the few ninjas who could produce this many clones without blacking out. "Okay, get going."

"Hai!" Naruto answered with an identical smile as his father.

He had his clones fight each other in a battle royale; which lasted for about an hour, until only the real Naruto was left standing. He was hunched over with his hands on his knees and panting heavily as the last clone disappeared into thin air, leaving a cloud of smoke as the only evidence it had even been there. He looked up and grinned weakly at his father who had been watching him with interest during the entire fighting.

"Okay, I'm done, Tou-san," the younger blonde said between pants.

"Well done, Naruto," Minato praised him lavishly with a grin as he clasped his hands together.

Naruto suddenly felt dizziness overtake his being and he fell down to the ground, completely exhausted. He hit the ground with his head, and groaned as he felt pain emit from the hurt area; he covered said area with his hands as he cuddled up in a fetal position.

Minato rushed over to his fallen son – worry evident in his deep blue eyes; he'd felt a sting in his heart as he'd watched the kid fall to the ground and hurt himself even more. "Naruto, are you all right?" he asked concerned, with a worried frown on his face.

"I'm okay, Tou-san, really," Naruto assured him quickly, but he was out of breath and his head hurt pretty badly; it felt as if a hammer was hitting him over and over again. He didn't want his father to think he couldn't go on; he really wanted to learn that jutsu!

"Very well. I will then teach you the move, then," Minato told him, reluctantly; he was still worried about his son's pained expression. He didn't want his son to push himself too hard; the younger blonde had a terrible habit of doing just that.

"Really?" Naruto got up to his knees quickly upon hearing this news. He gritted his teeth as a pain shot though his head, but it wasn't visible on his facial features.

"First, I'll show it to you," Minato continued as he studied his son's face for any sign of injury, but he knew how well Naruto could hide things like that. It was probably the only thing he hated about Naruto; really hated – the kid wouldn't let himself appear weak. "So watch carefully."

He bit his thumb and spread some blood across his hand, and then he performed a few hand signs quickly and shouted out loud, "_Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"_ as he slammed his hand down hard on the ground.

Smoke appeared along with a large frog with a necklace on it, which Minato now stood on. "Jiraiya-sensei taught me this move, when I was his student, and now, I want to pass this on to you, Naruto," the taller blonde told his son proudly.

"That was so cool, Tou-san!" Naruto shouted with sparkles in his eyes, momentarily forgetting about the pain, though he could still feel a faint dull ache at the side of his head.

Minato smiled at his son's excitement and was extremely happy that he's gotten a son this drolly over something so primitive.

The toad had scroll in its mouth, which it lowered to the ground with its tongue in front of where Naruto was standing. "Open the scroll, Naruto. It's the contract of the frogs for summoning purposes. It has been passed down for many generations. Jiraiya-sensei had it, which he then gave to me." The Yondaime Hokage watched as his son sat down in front of the scroll, and he felt his heart swell out of pride, this was something he'd waited for quite some time now; his son was finally on the way to become a ninja, for real.

Naruto took the scroll and laid it down carefully on the ground, Minato watching his every move, as well as the toad.

"First, write down your name with your blood, and beneath that, put down your handprint. Then, mold chakra and place the hand you used on the contract to where you want to summon the thing. The seals are the Boar, the Dog, the Bird, the Monkey and the Sheep," Minato explained with a finger in the air, the other hand was resting on his hip.

Naruto bit his thumb, and wrote his name in blood; _Namikaze Naruto_. He noticed that both Jiraiya and his father's name were in the scroll, and he couldn't help but let a smile grace his lips. Then his placed his handprint under his name.

"Yosh. That's it, right Tou-san?" Naruto asked when he was finished and looked up to the other man who was grinning like an idiot, his eyes taking the shade of a brighter blue than normal.

"Yes. Kyuubi's Chakra should be easier to extract. Try it," Minato told him with a small gesture of his right hand, encouraging the teen to continue practicing.

"I'm already on it," Naruto said with his eyes closed, as he molded Chakra. Then performing the necessary hand signs, he shouted, "_Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" _while slamming his hand down on the ground.

A small puff of smoke appeared revealing only a small tadpole. It flopped about helplessly; Naruto sweat dropped as he saw the outcome.

Minato's eye twitched a little at the sight, as he swallowed a laugh. "Uh, well, that's a good first try, son," he said, trying to sound encouraging, rubbing the back of his head. "You'll just have to keep trying."

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Meanwhile, Sasuke was having training difficulties of his own; he was really hoping to get his father to train with him, but he had adamantly refused, much to the raven's confusion and disappointment. So, he had resorted to going to the training grounds to train by himself. Kakashi came by one time, and saw the raven training alone.

"Training hard, Sasuke?" he asked conversationally, as he studied the younger boy.

The said raven was panting and looked over at Kakashi, a bit surprised to see the silver-haired Jounin there. "Yeah," he answered casually, and continued with what he was doing.

"Training alone I see," The silver-haired Jounin observed with an arched brow.

"I don't have much of choice. Otou-sama won't train with me," Sasuke answered bitterly as he walked over to a punching bag that was tied to a tree trunk and began kicking it, as hard as he possibly could, trying to not to image his father's face while doing so.

_That's strange, _Kakashi thought with a frown. "Well, I'd be happy to train with you, Sasuke, if you'd like. I have a move that I think would be really suited for you," he went on casually.

Sasuke's face light up slightly. "Why would you want to help me?" he asked neutrally, trying not to sound too eager or desperate, but Kakashi saw through it.

"Because you and I are a lot alike; you remind me of myself a little bit when I was your age," the masked Jounin answered, as Sasuke looked curiously at him. "Also, you have the same elemental chakra affinity that I have. Not only can you use fire, but you can use lighting as well."

The brunette raised a brow at this. "Lighting?" he repeated incredulously, believing that the man in front of him was just messing with him.

"Yes. However, I must warn you. This move that I'm going to show you is never to be used against anyone in the village. It's for enemies only," Kakashi warned him seriously with a warning finger in the air, making young Uchiha snort in response.

"Then I can't use it in the tournament," Sasuke answered, disappointment clear on his face. He was really hoping for something he could use in the upcoming tournament. He was sure that Naruto was probably learning some killer move from the Yondaime, and the raven didn't want to be shown up by the blonde.

"And why is that?" the silver-haired Jounin asked him curiously.

"Because. . . my opponent is Naruto," Sasuke answered plainly.

"I see. Well, that does make things more complicated—"_ and interesting._ "Tell you what. I'll still teach you the move, because you never know when it might come in handy. In addition, I'll also teach you more about the Sharingan. How does that sound?" Kakashi asked him with an eye smile, his eye becoming a small 'n.'

It all sounded very appealing to the raven; he had found out that Kakashi had one eye that contained the Sharingan during their mission in the Land of Waves. Ever since then, he had wondered how his sensei had gotten it. This was good time to learn.

Sasuke gave a slight smile and nodded his head in agreement.

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Three weeks later, Naruto was still trying to master the Summoning Jutsu. He had progressed from summoning a tadpole with legs to produce a small frog with four legs and a tail.

"Kuso!" the said blonde shouted out loud and stomped his foot on the ground out of pure frustration. "Why is this so darn hard!?"

Minato felt truly sorry for Naruto; the poor kid had been working his butt off these past three weeks, and was truly doing his best. This wasn't something you could master in the blink of an eye, but at the same time, to see Naruto work this hard with so little process was a bit disheartening.

When Naruto stood up, after being bent over (and so many times, his back was hurting) to perform the summoning, he suddenly felt dizzy and the world became blurry. His eyes rolled back into his head and he fainted, falling to the ground. Minato rushed over to his son with a frown on his face; the younger blonde was out cold.

_Hmm__. .__.__ he collapsed again. Can't blame him since he's been training almost non-stop for 21 days on pure guts. This kind of control is difficult and pulling out Kyuubi's chakra is harder than I thought. _Minato frowned as he looked down at the unconscious blonde. _Since the key to releasing Kyuubi's chakra is heightened emotion or danger__—_ he trailed off as he continued to study his son's unconscious form. _Forgive me, Naruto, but this is the only way__. . ._

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Naruto slowly woke up and noticed that he was lying on the ground with his father's Hokage coat as a pillow. Looking around, he noticed that his father was standing a few feet away from him, with his back turned towards the younger blonde, and he swallowed nervously before he sat up.

"T-Tou-san? I fainted again, didn't I? I-I'm sorry. . . I just. . ." the shorter blonde trailed off as the words got stuck in his throat. His father was silent and unmoving, and it was something weird – something Naruto rarely saw. "Anou, Tou-san, what's wrong?" he asked after a while. "Are you mad at me?"

Minato finally turned around to look at his son with a small smile as he shook his head, indicating that he wasn't mad or angry with his son. The Hokage walked over to the spot where Naruto was and took a hold of his coat and put it on again. "I'm going to do something— something different that will help you draw out Kyuubi's chakra, Naruto. You'll have to trust me on this," he answered cryptically, and smiled again.

"What do you mean—?" Naruto started to ask, but stopped when he saw that something or was it someone…was standing behind his father.

His father then stepped aside to reveal. . . Sasuke?

"Sasuke?" Naruto yelled in surprise. "What are you doing here?!"

Minato smiled at his son's facial expression. "He's here to help with a little. . . experiment."

_What the hell?_ The younger blonde thought thoroughly confused. Was his father crazy? He studied his friend's face for something that could reveal the meaning behind this whole thing, but the raven's face was strangely blank.

"Now, Naruto," the taller of the two blondes interrupted the shorter one's thoughts. "I want you to think back to your battle with Haku. Specifically, to the moment when you thought Sasuke was dead. Focus on how you felt. You said you felt intense anger. That's what I want you to do now. Look at Sasuke and remember. . . think back and concentrate on those feelings. . ." he instructed Naruto with a finger in the air.

Naruto looked at Sasuke as he tried to think back to that battle, and it was hard, he didn't really want to remember, it had been so— real. . . Sasuke had put himself in front of him when Haku had come in to attack him. . . and then there was blood. . . the raven 'died' in his arms…the blonde closed his eyes tightly and concentrated, but he just couldn't feel the red chakra.

Minato stood by silently for a few minutes, while he studied his son's face. He could tell Naruto was trying his best, but was losing the battle. It looked like he was have to go through with his 'plan' after all.

"Alright, Naruto. It looks like you need a bit more motivation," the older blonde interrupted, seeing his son's pained expression.

The young blonde opened his eyes and saw that Sasuke was now tied to a tree, with a confused look on his face.

"Tou-san!? What the hell?" he shouted out loud due to confusion.

"This is for your own good," Minato answered and with that, he drew upon his chakra and formed a swirling sphere in his right hand.

"What the hell is that?" the blonde teen screeched, with wide eyes, as he felt the air thicken around him.

Instead of answering, Minato began to charge Sasuke as he shouted, "Rasengan!"

Naruto watched in disbelief as he saw his father charge his best friend, intent on killing him. Sasuke was struggling against his bonds but it was no use.

"Dobe, wake up and do something!" the raven shouted at the blonde with a glare, but at the same time with a wary eye on the Yondaime who was rushing towards him with that swirling sphere in his hands; it seemed to be lethal.

_Oh Kami! He's serious! If I don't do something, Sasuke will die! What should I do?__!_ Naruto thought as he looked around helplessly, and then he remembered what his father said just minutes before. _That's right! Concentrate! Focus my feelings! If I don't, Sasuke will die! __Sasuke will freaking die!_

Naruto suddenly felt something in the pit of his stomach, and his mind went dark. He landed in some shallow water, in a dimly lit place that had pipes and doors all around. The blonde began to walk down the long corridor as he looked at the surroundings with a confused but curious interest.

_Where am I?_ he thought as he continued walking. _This feeling__. . .__ it's that chakra, I've felt it before. . ._

The blonde heard a loud growl and walked around the corner to come face to face with an enormous gate with bars. On the doors was seal, and behind the doors, Naruto could only make out a large shadow.

_It__'__s huge__!__ What is t__hat thing!?_he wondered with a frown between his blonde brows. He suddenly saw a pair of huge, sinister, red eyes.

"_**Kid, come closer. . ."**_ a deep and evil sounding voice spoke, and as Naruto neared the bars, giant claws came out, causing him to jump away in fright. _**"I want to eat you. . . but this damn seal. . ."**_ it said, making the blonde's skin crawl.

"Y-you're. . . you're the Kyuubi," the blonde stated in awe as he studied the claws he could still see, along with a pair of red, evil eyes, that were starting the said blonde down. _I get it now… _

"_**For you to come here. . . what do you want?"**_ Kyuubi boomed, jolting Naruto out his thoughts, as he frowned, determined not to be afraid. He had to do this for Sasuke.

"Oi! Listen up, you dumb fox! I'm letting you stay in my body, so instead of rent, lend me your chakra!" he commanded in a firm voice to the fox, as he tried to make sure that his knees weren't shaking.

Kyuubi appeared surprised at first, and then started laughing manically. _**"**__**To command me like this – what guts. . ." **_the monster said as some of its chakra leaked out from under the gated doors and began to surround Naruto. _**"Alright. . . here's a gift for coming this far."**_

Naruto was now completely engulfed by the red Chakra in a few mere minutes, and even though it was burning, he tried to ignore it. This was about Sasuke, his best friend, and he wouldn't – _couldn't – _let anyone harm him!

"AHH!" Naruto suddenly opened his eyes as he saw that his father was almost upon Sasuke now. _This is the feeling!_ Jumping quickly in front of the raven, and performing the necessary signs with great speed, he shouted out the jutsu, "_Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"_

Smoke appeared and the biggest toad that Naruto had ever seen appeared right in front of them, blocking Minato's path.

"WHOA!" the younger blonde gasped in awe, forgetting about Sasuke for a moment. "H-he's HUGE!" He looked at the toad all around. "Let's see, no tail. . . YES! I did it! _Kuchiyose no Jutsu_, a complete success!" the blonde yelled as he jumped up and down, with pure excitement.

_Well, well, I'll be. He did it!_ Minato thought as he extinguished his Rasengan. _It's not stable yet, though, he used too much Chakra and summoned 'him' __–__ Gamabunta. Good thing I can control him, unlike __a certain__ Jiraiya-sensei._

"Alright. Who the hell summoned me here?" Gamabunta's voice boomed loudly.

Naruto, whose adrenaline had worn off, suddenly felt yet another wave of dizziness overwhelm him, and he fell to the ground, coughing and trying to inhale as much air as possible.

_He's exhausted all his chakra to summon Gamabunta,_ Minato thought as he saw Naruto collapse. _Poor kid, he'd been doing that so much lately_.

He then came forward to speak to the giant toad. "Sorry about that, Gamabunta-sama," The older blonde said, rubbing the back of his head. "It was my son, Naruto, who summoned you here."

"Eh? Your son summoned me?" Gamabunta asked in disbelief as he stared at the young blonde down on the ground near his feet.

"Yes, he did," Minato insisted and then he showed the giant toad the contact, revealing Naruto's name, which was right next to his.

"Hn. What an impressive kid, you've got there, Minato," Gamabunta said, impressed by the young blonde.

Minato grinned widely as he heard that comment. "Yes, he is. You can take your leave, and I apologize for the inconvenience. Naruto used a little too much of his chakra."

"Well, I'm off then." With a puff of smoke the giant toad was gone, and left behind was a sleeping Naruto, a proud father, and a smirking Sasuke.

The Yondaime looked down at Naruto as he continued to smile, he was just so proud over his son. _He's going to need a lot of rest after this. _

Sasuke, who was still tied, suddenly 'poofed' with smoke into a clone of Minato, which then disappeared. _I think that all went rather well,_ he thought with a chuckle as he hefted Naruto over his shoulder and carried him inside the house. _You did well, my son. I'm proud of you._

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It took Naruto three days before he woke up – after summoning Gamabunta, the boss toad – all of his chakra had blown away with the wind; so to say he was exhausted was an understatement. So, upon awakening, he saw his father sitting in a chair next to his bed.

"Tou-san?" the young blonde asked sleepily as he sat up, rubbing his one eye.

"Ah, Naruto. You're finally awake!" Minato exclaimed happily, and the younger blonde noted the worried relief in his father's voice. "I was starting to get a little concerned." That confirmed Naruto's hunch.

But the younger blonde suddenly frowned. "How long have I been out?" he asked, confused, as he tried to find a clock on one of the walls.

"Three days," the taller blonde answered casually, with a tired smile, it seemed that Minato had been awake during the majority of that time; keeping an eye on his son.

"Eh!? Three days!?" Naruto shrieked, as he looked around frantically. "What day is it?"

"It's Monday," the Hokage answered calmly, the corner of his mouth twitching a little; he couldn't deny the fact that his son looked pretty amusing when panicked.

"Have I missed the exam?" the shorter blonde asked in a panic, as Minato snorted.

"No, no, calm down, Naruto. There's still four days left," he explained gently to his son, with his smile finally showing itself.

Naruto settled down a little as he heard that information. "I don't have time to rest here, I need to train more!"

"Hold on, don't push yourself, son! You've been asleep for three days. Just calm yourself for a moment," Minato told him gently as Naruto sat back against the headboard of his bed, thumping his head in the process against it, eliciting a groan. "That's better. Be glad I didn't take you to the hospital."

"You know how I feel about hospitals, Tou-san," Naruto answered dryly as he closed his eyes with a frown between his blonde brows. **(1)**

"I know, and that's why you're here and not there, but if you push yourself too hard too soon, that's where you'll end up. Now, I want to talk to you about the summoning," the older of the two blondes started.

"Oh yeah! I was awesome! I summoned the biggest toad I've ever seen!" the younger blonde gushed as his eyes widened due to the excitement.

"Yes, well," his father cleared his throat with his clenched fist covering his mouth. "You used a bit too much of your chakra and summoned Gamabunta, the toad boss. He's only for dire emergencies."

"Oh, I see," Naruto answered, feeling a little down and slightly embarrassed after hearing that.

Minato ruffled Naruto's hair in an attempt to cheer the small blonde up. "It's okay, son. I know him real well, so he was understanding about it. You'll just need to practice more."

"Yeah, okay," the blonde teen answered in a flat tone.

"Now, tell me about how you were able to tap into Kyuubi's chakra," Minato prompted as he moved a little closer to his son, sitting on the edge of his bed.

The said blonde suddenly perked up again. _How does he do that? _ The older blonde thought amusedly. "Oh, that! Well, I was thinking about what you told me about my feelings and Sasuke, and then my mind suddenly went black and I ended up in this weird corridor with water, pipes and doors. I found Kyuubi behind some bars and spoke with him, and then he then gave me some of his chakra. I guess it was too much," he finished sheepishly and a small blush was covering his cheeks.

"Hm. That's interesting," Minato answered thoughtfully, filing the information in the back of his mind for now. "Well, now that you've done it once, you should be able to call upon Kyuubi's Chakra again when you need it, but remember, use it sparingly," he warned Naruto firmly.

Naruto was listening to Minato and then he suddenly looked panicked again. "Kuso! Where's Sasuke?" he shouted.

Minato chuckled as he heard that, and decided to tell his son about the clone. "Well, I need to tell you something about that," he started, rubbing the back of his head.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the nervous smile that graced his father's lips. "Tell me what?"

"Well, that wasn't the real Sasuke. It was one of my clones, henged into Sasuke," the older blonde explained carefully as he looked everywhere but his son, who was turning redder and redder until. . .

"WHAT?! You tricked me!" he accused, pointing his finger at his father as his entire being was trembling out of rage.

Minato held his hands out protectively as he chuckled nervously. "Calm down, son. It was necessary to help you draw out your power, just look at the result, ne?"

Naruto frowned, but after thinking about it, he concluded that his father did have a point, but still. . . "You nearly gave me a heart attack you know," he answered, accusingly.

"I'm sorry," his father answered sincerely as folded his hands on his knees, and the younger blonde nearly laughed at the sight; his father looked like a scolded kid. "There seemed to be no other way," he laughed nervously.

Naruto shrugged in defeat, seemingly deep in thought again, making Minato nervous. Finally, he spoke up. "Fine, I'll let it go this time, but I want to know something," he started with an arched brow.

"What's that?" the older blonde asked as he looked at his son, his head titled to the left.

"What was that spinning sphere you had in your hand?" the young blonde wanted to know as he blinked a couple of times, also titling his head; looking identical to his father.

"Oh, that. It's a technique I developed myself, before you were born. . . but. . ." Minato trailed off as he sighed, this was kind of embarrassing to say, since he was the Hokage and all.

"What?" Naruto asked curiously.

"It's not complete yet. It's call the Rasengan," Minato answered as his face scrunched up as if he'd tasted on something sour.

"It looked so cool!" Naruto gushed, ignoring his father's bothered expression. "Will you teach me how to do it? Please?" he begged with big, sparkling eyes, that Minato found so hard to resist.

The taller blonde chucked a little, as he looked at his son who'd have been jumping up and down by now if not lying in bed. "One technique at a time, son. It's very advanced; A-rank ultra high-grade level jutsu and it took me three years to develop. For now, you should work on controlling Kyuubi's chakra and the summoning technique."

"Okay," Naruto reluctantly agreed. "But I won't forget about it."

"Fair enough," the older blonde answered with a shrug of his shoulders. "I am going to teach you one other thing that will really help you in your battle."

"What's that?" Naruto asked eagerly as his eyes widened slightly.

"Well, since you're up against Sasuke and his Sharingan, you need to know how to counter it," Minato explained. "There's a trick to it, and that's what I'll teach you."

At the mention of the raven's name, Naruto looked down at his bed for a moment, his hair covering his eyes, and his expression unreadable. He seemed in deep thought.

"Naruto? Are you okay?" Minato asked worriedly after some time had passed.

"I-I. . . I. . . it's just that. . . I've never thought about how hard it's going to be to fight against my best friend. I'm not sure I can do it," the younger finally answered, still looking down. Even though Naruto had promised Sasuke a month ago that he would do his best and not hold back; it was easier said than done.

_Ah, so that's what it is. I can understand that well enough. _"I understand how you feel, Naruto. I think you can do it though. You should aim to do your very best, and I'm sure Sasuke would want no less than that," the older blonde answered with a sincere smile, a smile that made Naruto blush; his father believed in him. "I'm sure it's hard for him too, but I bet he's been training just as hard as you have. At any rate, if one of you does lose, it's doesn't mean that you can't become Chuunin," the taller blonde reminded the shorter.

"Yeah, I guess you're right, Tou-san. Thanks," Naruto answered, looking up at his father with another smile.

"Of course. Now, let's get some food into you, and then we'll see about doing some more training," Minato told him, returning the smile with an identical one as Naruto's.

"Ossu!" the said blonde jumped out of bed and hurried to get dressed.

_What energy and enthusiasm!_ Minato thought as he shook his head. As Naruto headed to door to make his way downstairs, his father called out to him, "We're having something _healthly,_ no ramen."

_Kuso!_

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**TBC**

**(1) Read "Why Naruto Hates Hospitals" to understand this better. **

**AN: Yosh! Mina, hope that was good. The summoning part may be a stretch, but I was aiming for something different than the manga, and I just can't see Minato throwing his son over a cliff. Next chapter will contain two very important fights and surprises. Reviews are tasty and non-fattening to the author. Thank you!**


	6. Chapter 6

**My Way of the Ninja**

**Chapter 6**

**Beta: MrsHellman**

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**Disclaimer: You should know by now that I don't own Naruto**

**AN: This chapter is dedicated to my husband, Jeremy, who helped me write one of the fight scenes in this chapter, I couldn't have done it without him. He's also my biggest fan. This chapter is for you, my number one fan!**

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Naruto practiced the summoning jutsu several more times, however, despite his best efforts, and much to his frustration, he had only been successful in summoning Gamabunta's two sons – Gamakichi and Gamatatsu – causing the blonde to feel immensely disappointed. All they wanted was treats from him, and they couldn't actually do much of anything.

Minato kept encouraging him, though, and Naruto refused to give up. He also taught Naruto a really useful move that he could execute with his clones, Naruto even named it himself.

The day of the Third exam finally came, and everyone gathered together from near and far at the Chuunin stadium to watch this exciting event. The stands were filled as Minato – dressed in his traditional Hokage attire, including the dreaded hat – was in his own secluded section at the top of the stadium surrounded by a select few Jounin, and a couple of ANBU.

The first three battles were pretty exciting. So far, Shino won his battle, Shikamaru gave up on his, but because he fought well, and demonstrated good Chuunin skills, he got the rank of Chuunin anyway, and a Grass ninja won his.

The tension in the air had been high, but right now, it was ever higher than before, because it was now time for Sasuke and Naruto's match.

When Naruto and Sasuke were announced to come out, the crowd cheered loudly. Everyone had been anticipating this battle; the Yondaime's son, vs. the famous Uchiha. Minato himself was anxiously awaiting this battle; two friends since childhood, battling each other, with neither of them wanting to lose. He knew Naruto had trained hard; no doubt Sasuke did as well.

Minato was excited and nervous to see all the training put to use, and see Naruto in actual battle. It was something special when your own child was competing in such a huge competition. It had been different when Minato competed himself, he didn't care about his parents' warnings or advice, the only thing he'd had in mind was the actual competition. He kind of regretted that now, though, because they'd said many useful things to him.

The blonde and raven who were about to fight in a few seconds, were feeling nervous as well, not that either of them would admit it, they were men. They didn't show visible fear, right?

Fugaku had told Sasuke that in no uncertain terms was he to lose, even though he had no part in his training, Sasuke had thought bitterly. Fugaku did come to the stadium to watch his son, at least.

Naruto on the other hand, still felt torn, between wanting to win, and preserving his friendship with Sasuke. Could he really fight him all out? What if one of them lost? Would they still be friends? What if they both lost?

All these questions rolled around in his mind as he walked out onto the stadium, in front of the large, cheering crowd. The young blonde had never seen so many people before, but as he took his gaze away from the crowd as he saw Sasuke coming out onto the field, opposite him. He let out a shaky sigh as he studied the other boy's face for any visible emotions.

They now stood just a few feet away from each other, and to say the anticipation was thick would be an understatement.

The referee stood to the side of them, preparing to give the signal to start the fight.

"Naruto," the raven-haired teen suddenly said, piercing him with a firm stare. "Don't forget your promise to me," he reminded the blonde.

"O-okay, Sasuke," Naruto agreed uneasily as he grinned, but it was forced and the raven saw right through it.

"I want to see what you can really do," he finished with his famous Uchiha smirk.

"Yeah, me too," the blonde answered, flashing him a smirk also, suddenly feeling better after hearing those words leave the raven's lips.

"Alright, begin!" the referee suddenly shouted as Naruto and Sasuke narrowed their eyes in anticipation.

At the signal, each teen jumped backwards and prepared to fight.

Naruto pulled out some shuriken and threw them at Sasuke, who dodged them easily, throwing some of his own. Naruto used the _Kawarimi no Jutsu_ **(1) **to avoid them, and appeared in behind the raven, grabbing him from behind and holding him tightly against the blonde's chest, pinning the raven's arms so he couldn't move.

"Impressive, Naruto," Sasuke smirked as he felt the strength the blonde used to hold him. "But, I haven't even gotten started." 'Sasuke' suddenly disappeared.

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he let out a gasp. _A bunshin, eh? Well, two can play at that game._ "_Tajuu_ _Kage bunshin no jutsu_!"**(2)** he shouted as he produced six clones.

The real Sasuke saw them coming at him. Activating his Sharingan, he could tell which one was real, but decided to play along with the blonde for now. It would create some further tension in the game, just the way both of them liked it.

Fugaku watched the battle with little interest, as if he didn't care about the outcome. Instead, he focused his attention elsewhere, like he was waiting for something to happen.

"Clever, Naruto. But you'll need more than sheer numbers to defeat me!" the raven challenged the blonde who was glaring at him in return.

"Humph. We'll see, won't we, Sasuke?" the blonde teen replied. "Here I come!"

The six clones, along with the real Naruto, came in close to attack Sasuke. Each clone tried to punch, kick or hit Sasuke with a kunai, but he dodged them all, and then landing some kicks of his own, the raven dispersed three of the clones, easily.

_Three down, _he thought, as the three remaining Naruto's looked at him in surprise.

Three other clones tried to attack from behind, but Sasuke ducked and took them out with just a blast of his chakra. The real Naruto managed to get in close enough to Sasuke and launched a punch with his right hand, but Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hand with his right hand. Quickly, the blonde threw another punch with his left hand, while Sasuke grabbed it as well; they were now interlocked by their hands.

They knew exactly how the other teen fought in different situations, having spared against each other, and observing the other during missions. This did not make things easier for either of them.

The raven used this chance to kick Naruto, who shook his hands free and grabbed Sasuke's foot, blocking the kick. Naruto tried to spin Sasuke around, but the raven stopped the movement by putting his hands on the ground and kicked Naruto off him with his other foot, which sent the blonde flying, but he was able to recover and launched himself mid-air towards Sasuke, and tried to punch him again, but Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hand and sent him flying overhead right past him.

The blonde teen landed on his feet only to find the raven coming at him fiercely with a series of punches, which Naruto was blocking fervently. Sasuke kicked Naruto away again, and this time, the whiskered blonde landed on his back hard.

Coughing, Naruto got up quickly to face Sasuke again.

"Not bad, Naruto," Sasuke said with a nod towards his friend and current opponent. "However, I knew which one was the real you all along. This is just a warm up," he told him smugly.

"Warm up, eh? Well, I'm not done yet!" Naruto answered, determinedly as he glared at smug teen.

The more they fought, the more determined the blonde was becoming, not wanting to lose. He seemed to overcome his earlier hesitancy, and noted how well the raven was doing. The blonde really wanted to impress his father as well.

Jumping up high in the air, Naruto prepared to attack, and as Sasuke looked up at him, he had to squint since the sun was directly behind Naruto, making it hard to see. Maybe that blonde hair was only good camouflage in situations like this?

Naruto flew towards him and punched him hard, sending the raven flying backwards, but he did a quick back flip and landed on his feet, facing the blonde again. They quickly charged each other, and exchanged a flurry of punches and kicks, some landing on each other, but not doing major damage, and then Naruto suddenly jumped back. They faced off again, both of them panting slightly, as they stared each other down. The whiskered teen formed his familiar hand sign, making a cross with his fingers and shouted, "_Tajuu Kage Bunshin no jutsu_!" This time Naruto produced about thirty clones that completely surrounded Sasuke, and they all ran in, towards him, closing the circle to attack the raven all at once.

Sasuke smirked as he saw the clones; this was a perfect time to show off his taijutsu skills. He wasn't an Uchiha for nothing, so using the very impressive taijutsu, he had trained so hard at, the raven was able to dispel clone after clone of Naruto's. The real Naruto watched Sasuke with grudging admiration, as the raven executed a series of flawless moves, taking out his clones with ease.

_Show off, _the blonde thought to himself, and as he continued to watch Sasuke dwindle down the clones, he suddenly had an idea, as he watched another clone disappear in a 'puff' of smoke.

While Sasuke was kicking two of the clones, while on his hands, he suddenly saw three Naruto clones coming at him from three directions, sliding down low and ready to kick him in the air while shouting, "Na-mi-ka-ze. . ." as they kicked Sasuke into the air, he sensed someone behind him and looking back he saw the real Naruto with his foot high and outstretched, ready to kick him down, hard, "_Naruto Rendan!" _**(3)**

Minato smiled when he saw his son perform that move; they had worked on it together during their training, and Naruto had perfected it quite well.

_When did he learn something like that? _Sasuke thought as he quickly formed some hand seals and then successfully blocked Naruto's kick with his arms. The blonde was surprised by this, but quickly recovered.

_He's not holding back for sure__. . ._ the blonde teen thought as he contemplated what to do next. _This is so surreal__. . ._

Then finishing his hand sign, Sasuke shouted at the top of his lungs, "_Katon: Housenka no jutsu_!" **(4)**

Small, ball like flames came out of the raven's mouth, instantly dispelling the rest of Naruto's clones.

"Is that all you've got, Naruto?" he teased. "I expected better from you."

"You'd underestimate me, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, feigning hurt, as a frown was visible between his blonde brows. "I thought you knew me better than that, _baka_."

"You can't fool me with these, Naruto," Sasuke said, pointing to his eyes, as Naruto noticed the blood-red Sharingan.

"Perhaps so, Sasuke. But I know how to counter your Sharingan," the blonde responded with a grin. He thought back to what his father had told him during their training together. . .

"_To counter the Sharingan, you must focus on the opponent's feet and predict their movements accordingly in order to counter. There's a trick to learn to grasp the enemy's moves from foot movement alone.__"_

Minato had trained Naruto specifically in this during his training before the exam. The younger blonde had been carefully avoiding giving Sasuke direct eye contact the entire battle.

_Wow, Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun are incredible!_ Sakura thought in awe as she watched the two teens battling it out. _They've really gotten much stronger since the Land of Waves mission. They are really going all out! They're so evenly matched, I wonder who will win? It's hard to cheer one over the other, I wan them both to win! _She frowned when her thinking was brining her to the brink._ Shannaro!_

Hinata watched the battle nervously; she really wanted Naruto to win, given her feelings for the blonde. _Naruto-kun, you're so strong__. . .__y__ou can do, you can win!_

_You're going great, Naruto,_ Minato thought as he watched his son, feeling pride. _You can do it!_

Everyone in the stands was watching the battle with such intensity; it was almost palpable. The tension was so thick, and everyone was on the edge of their seats, the fight was so exciting.

"Interesting Naruto, but can you counter this?" Sasuke asked as he began making hand signs, yet again, and taking a deep breath, he shouted, "_Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu!"_ **(5)**

_Damn!_ Naruto thought, as a huge ball of fire came rushing towards him.

After the smoke cleared the raven looked around for the young blonde, but saw no sign of him. _Where did he go?_

The crowd was wondering too; there was no sign of the Yondaime's son. Sakura and Hinata looked worried as well. Up in the secluded section, Minato had a smile on his face.

Sasuke walked over to the spot where the blonde had stood just moments ago. Suddenly, a fist came exploding up out of the ground, and hit Sasuke hard in the jaw, sending him flying into the air, as Naruto's body followed his fist and popped out of the ground. The raven landed with a hard 'thud' on the ground and a grunt left his lips. Blood trickled down Sasuke's mouth as he raised his head to look at the person who'd hit him; Naruto.

The blonde had hit the raven so hard that his knuckles were bleeding. First blood. Naruto couldn't believe it! He had drawn blood on his friend; he had never done that before. It felt weird and at the same time strange.

_Nice move, Naruto!_ _I can see how strong you have really become,_ Minato thought as he continued to watch the fight; both teens seemed pretty evenly matched right now so there was no doubt that this match would be one of the most tense ones, as well as one of the most interesting ones.

Sasuke sat up slowly, and wiped the blood from his mouth. _He learned that move from Kakashi-sensei, I bet. He's not holding back, either, which is just the way I want it._ Rubbing his jaw where the blonde had him hit him, (and it was pretty hard, Naruto had indeed gotten stronger, Sasuke thought), the raven stood up and faced Naruto again, and both noticed that they were getting low on chakra.

_Time to do some more taijutsu._

Sasuke charged Naruto, and the said blonde headed straight towards Sasuke. Both their fists were pulled back; ready to strike when they got within range of each other. When they got close enough, their fists connected with the other's jaw, sending each other flying backwards, and tumbling to the ground. They were both panting heavily now as they stood up and faced off against each other once more, staring the other down, both equally determined, and not even close to being ready to give up.

Suddenly, their battle was interrupted by some loud noises, followed by a loud crash, and then something humongous appeared from above the stadium with none other than Orochimaru himself standing on top of an enormous snake.

Minato looked over at him, surprise written all over his face, as he watched the snake Sannin. _How did hell did he get in here undetected? He must have had help, but who would do such a thing?_ The blonde Hokage thought.

"Orochimaru," the Yondaime spat out the name. "What an unpleasant surprise."

"Greetings, _Hokage-sama_," Orochimaru mocked. "Sorry to interrupt, but I decided to drop in, since I wasn't invited," he continued in a mock-sad voice.

"What the hell are you doing here?" The Yondaime asked in a deadly serious voice. "And now, of all times?"

"All in good time my friend," the snake Sannin replied smoothly. "As for the timing, well, I knew you would be a little…distracted."

The crowd in the stadium started to panic and began to flee in fear of dreaded villain. However, before they could get far, Orochimaru cast a sleeping jutsu on them, causing everyone who couldn't dispel the jutsu to fall asleep. All the Jounin knew how to dispel this jutsu and did so immediately.

Orochimaru then quickly performed another jutsu, _Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei_; **(6) **that summoned hundreds of dead shinobi, which began to attack the village and the Jounin.

Minato quickly summoned reinforcements; ANBU, more Jounin and Fugaku with his police force to help the attack of the zombies. Realizing that if he didn't put an end to this quickly, the reinforcements would be overwhelmed in no time at all.

When Naruto and Sasuke had been very surprised by the snake-Sannin's untimely arrival. When they saw the feathers from the sleeping jutsu, they knew what to do also. Shouting 'kai' it was quickly dispersed. They noticed that Sakura, Shikamaru and Shino were unaffected as well. They were all soon surrounded by the dead bodies that appeared onto the field, and that's when the blonde nodded his head at the raven, who returned the gesture.

"Looks like we'll have to postpone our fight, Sasuke," Naruto called to the raven as he looked at the snake and Orochimaru.

"Hn, appears so, for now," the young Uchiha agreed, as they both took a fighting stance, now against their enemies, and not against themselves.

Kakashi suddenly appeared onto the field. Those who hadn't been put to sleep gathered on the field with him to help. "Listen up! We're going to need everyone's help to fight these guys. Use caution and teamwork!" he reminded them as he made a gesture so the people who'd gathered around him scattered.

Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura, who just joined them, nodded in response and together everyone started attacking the zombies.

The police force was in a strategic place, between the Hokage's platform and the stadium, and with that area covered; Kakashi was soon joined by some other Jounin who went to assist the Genin in the fighting.

Moving to the outside edge, opposite of the Hokage, Kakashi slashed the zombie before him. A normal man would have been disabled, no longer able to fight, but the zombie was unaffected by his attack, and Kakashi sighed to himself. "Hmm. . . this may be a little harder than I thought," he said to himself as he dodged an attack by the said zombie.

Meanwhile, Fugaku's strategically placed men started to lose ground and were backing down from the zombie's attacks, slowly making their way up towards Minato who was giving orders to everyone, getting ready to fight Orochimaru himself. The police force would strike the zombies and then take a step back, and as they drew nearer to the Hokage, the ANBU joined in the attack. Nothing they did was affecting the approaching zombies. It was starting to get crowded as they got closer and closer to the platform, and before the ANBU could react, the police force starting taking them out quickly, so they couldn't alert Minato.

By the time the blonde Hokage realized what had happened to the ANBU, he felt his hands being grabbed and shoved roughly behind his back with a kunai at his throat. Others brandished their weapons at him, and Minato was now captured by the police force.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked harshly. "This is treason!"

"We're under orders," one of them said fearfully, while the others moved in closer with their kunai.

"Whose?" Minato demanded angrily as he felt the kunai against his throat cut into his skin.

"Mine," Uchiha Fugaku said from behind him, now moving to stand in front of the Yondaime, a smug look on his face. "You've lead our village into weakness. You have no right to lead us anymore. Uchiha is taking back it's rightful place of leadership, and you will be relieved of being Hokage," he announced with a smirk.

Before Minato could answer, the giant snake that Orochimaru was on, reached out its long forked tongue and grabbed the taller blonde, holding him just in front of the vile snake-man.

Naruto, who had paused a moment in his fighting, looked up and saw the snake grabbing his father and was now lifting it towards its mouth.

"Tou-san!" he shouted, and started to make his way towards him, but Kakashi stopped him, with a firm hand on his shoulder. "Let me go, Kakashi-sensei!" the blonde demanded, struggling to get out of his grip. He was panicking and the only thing he could think about was that his father was in danger, and if he didn't do anything, he might lose his only parent.

"Naruto! Listen to me! You're father's the Hokage! He can take care of himself," the silver-haired Jounin told him sternly.

"But—" Naruto started to say but got interrupted.

"I need you here," Kakashi cut him off. "You'll only get in the way. Trust your father."

Naruto bent his head down, covering his eyes, as he stopped struggling and Kakashi let him go. He turned back to the fighting, with renewed determination. _I won't let you down, __T__ou-san. _

"Sasuke!" he called to his friend, and the raven looked over at him with a raised dark brow. "Let's kick some ninja ass!"

Sasuke smirked at him, and together they renewed their efforts in the fighting, working together. Each time they thought they had defeated a zombie, a new one took its place. There seemed to no way to defeat them permanently, and yet their determination didn't waver even as more and more of them kept coming.

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Orochimaru chuckled evilly at blonde Hokage, who was still in front of him, being held by the giant snake's tongue. His tongue hissed through his teeth, causing Minato narrow his eyes in disgust.

"You've gotten weak, Minato. I expected better from you. Had I known it was going to be this easy, I would have attacked long ago. So tell me, how does it feel to be betrayed by one of your own ninja, a member of the police force at that? It's not unlike my betrayal by the Third, when he selected you over me," the snake Sannin asked with a smirk on his think, pale lips.

"So, you and Fugaku struck a deal? Interesting," the blonde Hokage replied. "I can't imagine how you convinced him to help the likes of you. What do you get out of all of this? You don't deal something for nothing." The blonde Hokage was moved closer to the snake, as Orochimaru hunched down to look the man in the eyes more properly.

"You know me quite well, Minato," Orochimaru laughed. "I made an offer to him that was irresistible. He wanted power, I promised to give him the opportunity to take it, and get you out the way. Fugaku is not the only one to benefit from this deal," he added cryptically, with that smirk of his growing even wider.

Minato frowned and narrowed his eyes some more. "What do you mean by that?" he asked flatly, but he was really confused by hearing those words.

"You'll find out in due time," Orochimaru answered with a chuckle. "Betrayal is a way of life. Now that I have you, I'm altering the deal and plan to destroy Konoha completely, but before I do that though, I have to secure a certain boy that I like, who has drawn my attention," the snake Sannin licked his lips at that statement before going on. "You see, I've finally found a way to achieve immortality."

The shock of this realization hit Minato like a ton of bricks. He knew of Orochimaru's 'experiments' while he was still in Konoha, how he had wanted to obtain immortality. Who would Orochimaru be after? He looked over at the said snake Sannin whose gaze was now drawn down into the stadium where his son and. . . Sasuke were fighting. Minato's eyes widened when he realized whom Orochimaru was talking about. Uchiha Sasuke!

"So, you're after Sasuke-san, is that it?" Minato asked with a sneer.

Orochimaru smiled evilly. "His Sharingan to be more specific. It's highly desirable, but that's only one of the things I'm after, Minato. I thought I'd let you in on my little secret before you die. Fugaku was merely a pawn that will soon no longer be need."

"When you do plan on telling him that?" the Yondaime retorted as his body tensed; he wasn't going to let this freak anywhere near Sasuke.

Orochimaru just laughed. "Ah, so naïve my friend. Revenge is sweet," he went on, enjoying every minute of this. "There was a time when I would have wanted the Hokage title for myself, but now, all I want is to take away everything you hold dear, and then kill you myself."

Orochimaru looked down once more to where Naruto was fighting and Minato followed his gaze.

_Naruto! He's going to kill him! _Minato thought frantically as his body went rigid due to panic.

"So, this is really it? This is what you have planned?" he asked, closing his eyes briefly; opening them again, he looked at Orochimaru intensely. "I'm still the Yondaime Hokage," he told him in a deadly, steely voice, and then he disappeared as a flash of yellow light, leaving flashes of light behind him shooting off in many different directions.

Orochimaru smiles again. _As predicted,_ he thought. "Let the fun begin."

Orochimaru got off the snake and directed it to start destroying the village. Below, Orochimaru's forces were beginning to overpower the Leaf ninja's who were valiantly fighting, and to be honest; it wasn't looking good.

Naruto was refusing to give up, but every time he thought he nailed his foe, it would just reappear again. _Damn it! There must be a way to beat these guys! _He looked up again, and saw that his father had escaped. _Way to go, __T__ou-san! I shouldn't have doubted you__!_

Minato re-appeared on top the snake, and began to attack it viciously. The snake was getting very agitated, and tried to shake him off its head. Placing one of his specially made seals on the snake's head, Minato jumped down to the ground, rolling away from the snake. Getting back on his feet, he prepared to throw one of his specially made kunai.

The snake, poised to strike, came down at him with lighting speed and Minato threw the kunai into its mouth, and then jumped out of the way, as it nearly missed him, getting a mouthful of dirt.

Orochimaru saw what Minato was doing and laughed sadistically. "It's useless, Minato! Your village is history, as you will be very soon!"

Minato suddenly disappeared and re-appeared inside the snake's mouth. Powering up a rasengan, he struck the roof of the snake's mouth with it and went through the top of its head, killing it instantly. As it fell to the ground, Minato jumped out and rolled away from it as it landed with loud crash, destroying some buildings in the process. The blonde Hokage got up, and looked determinedly at Orochimaru in the eye, as if to say, 'you're next.'

Furious that his precious snake is destroyed, Orochimaru signaled Fugaku over to him, and the Uchiha leader nodded and started to make his way down to the stadium where Naruto was still fighting, but kept a safe distance away from the zombies since they don't discriminate who they're after.

"Naruto-sama!" Fugaku called to him, when he got within hearing range, and said blonde looked up and over hearing his name being called. He saw Fugaku beckoning him over to him.

Telling Sasuke that he was being called away, the blonde ran over to where Fugaku was standing.

"Your father has given me orders to take you to safety," he told Naruto urgently. "We must leave now."

Naruto raised a blonde brow. _Why would Tou__-__san want me to leave now?_ he thought with a frown. That just didn't sound like his father at all. Sure, he had been overprotective in the past, but he was past that now. Naruto knew his father would want him to help with the fighting. This just didn't make sense. However, before he could process his thoughts any more, Fugaku's voice interrupted.

"Come with me, quickly," Fugaku urged, grabbing the teen by the hand and pulling him along, before he could respond.

Sasuke was also curious as to why his father was taking Naruto away. _What is going on? _he thought as he saw his father's tight grip in Naruto's wrist; it was bruising. He shrugged it off and turned his attention back to the fighting.

As they made their way from the fighting, Naruto noticed that Fugaku was taking him up the stairs and towards where Orochimaru, who was still at the top of the stadium. He'd also noticed that the grip on his hand was hurting quite a bit, and he winced when the man pulled him too hard.

"Hey, wait! Where exactly are you taking me?" the blonde protested, pulling back on Fugaku's hand, which still had him tightly around the wrist.

"You'll find out," Fugaku hissed in reply as he pulled back, making the blonde nearly fall over in the process.

It was then that Naruto got a terrible feeling deep down inside, but this was Sasuke's father! He couldn't. . . he wouldn't be on the same side as that freak, Orochimaru, could he?

As they closer and closer to where Orochimaru was standing, Naruto began to struggle against Fugaku.

"Let me go!" he shouted and it wasn't out of anger or disappointment of Fugaku, but out of fear. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Shut up!" Fugaku answered, stopping to pull both of Naruto's hands behind his back, painfully, as the young blonde winced in response, as he let a small cry leave his lips a few seconds later.

When they got in front of Orochimaru, Fugaku finally stopped, but he didn't let go of the blonde's hand, that was pretty red by now. "I've fulfilled my end of the bargain. It's time for you to fulfill yours," he told him, Naruto in shock over what he was hearing.

"Oh don't worry, my friend. You'll get exactly what's coming to you," Orochimaru said, sadistically, and it was at that moment, Fugaku sensed betrayal. For the first time, he felt fear, or perhaps it had not been the wisest thing to trust Orochimaru after all. Now it was too late, as he continued to hold tightly to the struggling blonde.

Naruto had heard about Orochimaru from his father, but he never thought he would be meeting him face to face. He was really creepy, with his pale features, bony figure and those yellow eyes, that reminded Naruto of the snake said man was riding.

Orochimaru chuckled and suddenly shot out his long, snake-like tongue and licked Naruto over one cheek, his tongue feeling the soft skin and then those marks. "Ah, delicious," he purred as he did it again. "I'm really going to savor this."

"Ah, gross! You're sick!" Naruto said, feeling very disgusted at what the man had done. He doubled his efforts to get away from this crazy guy, but Fugaku held him tightly.

"Time to die," Orochimaru said, with evil glee. Opening his mouth, the snake Sannin produced the _Kusanagi__no Tsurugi_. **(7)**

Naruto swallowed hard, as beads of sweat poured down his face. _Is this really how it's going to end?_ He thought, as he squeezed his eyes shut. _I'm sorry __T__ou-san._

Orochimaru extended his sword to deliver the killing blow when suddenly a yellow blur appeared directly in front of Naruto, all the blonde could make out was hands grabbing the sword, stopping the killing blow. Coming into clear view, pivoting on his left foot, Minato slammed his right foot down on the sword, forcing Orochimaru to the ground, hard.

"Don't you dare touch _my son_!" the taller blonde roared with deadly fury as his eyes were narrowed, dangerously.

Naruto opened his eyes at the sound of his father's voice, and the blonde had never heard his father sound so angry before. It sent shivers down his spine along with creating Goosebumps on his skin. His father had a distinct killing aura around him.

In the shock of seeing the Yondaime appear, Fugaku released his grip on Naruto, and promptly decided to flee the stadium; staying with Minato right now was not a good idea.

"Naruto! It's time for you go!" Minato commanded his son, as he through a quick look over his shoulder, towards his son who was clutching his wrist; it hurt so badly.

"But Tou-san, I could he—" Naruto started, but Minato interrupted him.

"No! I can't fight to the fullest, worrying about your safety. Get out of here now!" the older blonde answered in a deadly serious voice that Naruto knew better than to argue with.

"Right, I'll leave it to you then," the younger blonde answered, running in the opposite direction. _Kick his ass, Tou__-__san, you can do it! _

As the blonde teen ran back towards the stadium two ANBU suddenly appeared beside him. He hadn't even seen his father signal them. _You think of everything, don't you Tou__-__san?_ he thought wryly with a sneer.

Once Naruto was gone, Minato turned very cold eyes to Orochimaru who was recovering and starting to stand.

Orochimaru's sword turned into a snake and slithered toward Minato who dodged it easily. "Your problem—" the man licked his lips, tasting Naruto on them "—Minato, is that you lack creativity," he taunted as the snake disappeared. Instead, Orochimaru shot his tongue of out his mouth in an attempt to grab Minato.

The blonde Hokage grabbed the tongue, and taking his kunai, cut half of it off, causing Orochimaru to scream in pain and rage. "You're just not fast enough to defeat me, Orochimaru."

In rage, Orochimaru shot out thousands of snakes out of his mouth, and arms, hurdling them towards Minato. "I don't have to be quick, the most powerful always win," he answered in retort with a venomous sound to it.

Minato backpedaled and threw several explosive kunai, destroying most the snakes, and slicing and dicing the rest of them easily. "If that's the case, then you're defiantly going to lose here," he answered smugly. "If you haven't figured out by now why you weren't chosen to be the Yondaime, then you never will. I'm going to end this, once and for all."

Minato disappeared again from sight and Orochimaru looked around, but couldn't see him. "Damn it! Well, two can play at that game," he said, making the signs for a jutsu.

Suddenly, a flash of yellow light appears in front of him. Screaming, Orochimaru intensifies the signs, trying to complete the jutsu. He couldn't finish however; as Minato began to mercilessly slice his hands. Orochimaru glared at the dripping blood running down his hands, as they were now useless. Different accounts were told about what occurred next, for the Yondaime's movements were so quick, no one could really tell what happened, in the blur of orange and yellow light. Minato himself never revealed to anyone what exactly happened in those moments. When it was over, Orochimaru was left on his knees, before Minato.

"It ends here, Orochimaru. I will not let you harm another," the Yondaime stated coldly, as he looked down at his foe.

Orochimaru responded with a dead voice, "You can't defeat me; I'm one of the legendary Sannin. I'm immortal!"

Minato formed a Rasengan in his right hand. "You live only to hurt those around you, which is unforgivable." He then formed another Rasengan in his left hand. "You are too dangerous and evil to be left alive." With that, he charged the defeated Orochimaru, using his improved Rasengan blast that he invented himself. It was ten times more powerful than a single Rasengan, since the two separate ones spun in opposite directions, making them very powerful. Not even Orochimaru could survive such a devastating blast. . .

As soon as Orochimaru was dead, the jutsu he had used to summon the dead was dispelled, and they fell to the ground, and turned into dust; the fight was over.

There was nothing left of Orochimaru, except a ring. It was as if he had never existed.

Minato frowned, and picked up the ring, putting it in his pocket, and then he then turned away from where the snake Sannin had previously stood and went in search of his son, Naruto. He found him at the bottom of the stadium, in the field, along with his ANBU guards, Kakashi and Sasuke.

When Naruto saw his father, he ran up to him, and received a bone-crushing hug from Minato. After pulling back he asked frantically, "Are you alright, Naruto?" His father had quickly switched from hell bent killing father mode, to overprotective father mode, which was slightly disturbing to the younger blonde. He checked Naruto over carefully for any signs of injury.

"I-I'm fine, Tou-san, really," Naruto assured his father, who finally seemed satisfied that his son wasn't hurt. The shorter blonde was still in shock over what he had seen his father do, and also, what Sasuke's father had done. What the hell was going on?

Minato straightened up and spoke to the ANBU. "Take Naruto and Sasuke back to my house, and guard them until I return."

"Aw, Tou-san do we have to?" the said blonde whined, pitifully.

"Yes, you do, Naruto," Minato told him sternly with a frown on his features. "I won't be long."

Naruto pouted, but did as he was told, and as he and Sasuke left with the ANBU, Minato turned his attention back to the silver-haired Jounin next to him. "Uchiha Fugaku is a traitor to Konoha." Kakashi raised one visible brow in surprise, but didn't question the taller blonde. "Summon some more ANBU and track him down. Use your nin-dogs too. I want him found and brought back alive. I will interrogate him myself," he said with cold fury.

"Hai, sensei," the maksed Jounin answered, bowing and disappearing from sight.

Now that everything was over, Minato had to see to the damage and repairs of the village. _I guess this means the Chuunin exams are canceled for now,_ he thought wryly.

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**TBC**

**(1)**_ Kawarimi no Jutsu- _substitution jutsu

**(2)**_ Tajuu_ _Kage bunshin no jutsu- _massive shadow clone jutsu

_**(3**_**)** _Rendan-_ Naruto's barrage move

**(4)** _Katon: Housenka no jutsu-_ Fire Release - Phoenix Immortal Fire Technique

**(5)**_ Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu- _Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique

**(6)**_ Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei-_ Summoning: Worldly Resurrection

**(7)**_ Kusanagi__no Tsurugi_ -Long Sword of the Heavens

**AN: Whew, my longest chapter yet! Hope you enjoyed the action! I thoroughly believe that Minato was capable of defeating Orochimaru due to Anko's statements about him in the anime series, when she was talking to the Third. At this point, Orochimaru hadn't left the Ataksuki yet. My husband wrote the fighting scene between Orochimaru and Minato. Constructive criticism and feedback are welcome, as I want to always improve my writing. Flames, however, will be ignored.**


	7. Chapter 7

**My Way of the Ninja**

Chapter 7

Beta'd: MrsHellman

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**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, I would not put in so many fillers in the anime!**

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When Sasuke and Naruto had returned to the house, they sat down on some of the couches in the main lounge – not because they were comfortable, but because it was the only 'sittable' thing in the house. Naruto had screamed, yelled, pleaded, begged and practically threatened with suicide – that they should get a new couch.

Well, on with the more. . . important things. The ANBU stood right by them, much to the younger blonde's annoyance, and said blonde didn't quite know if they had noticed his hatred towards the couch, but perhaps they had?

"Could you guys give us some space?" Naruto asked one of them as he arched a brow while looking at them from the corners of his eyes.

"We were told to guard you, Naruto-sama," he replied flatly with a small nod, causing the blonde to glare at the man who said it.

"Well, can't you guard us from over there," the blonde teen pointed to a spot that would more out of earshot. More specifically, he was indicating the kitchen…which was located a few rooms away from the living room – where he and Sasuke currently sat – and a few rooms away meant on the other side of the house.

"Very well, Naruto-sama," he answered, as he and his partner retreated back a bit. They didn't go to the kitchen; they simply walked over to the next room.

Sighing, but satisfied, Naruto turned to Sasuke, who was looking even paler than usual, and it made the blonde frown in confusion, but them he remembered; Fugaku. "You okay, Sasuke?" he asked worriedly.

"I don't understand what's going on," the raven answered distantly as he swallowed thickly.

"With what?" the blonde asked. He had a feeling as to what his friend was referring to, but feigned ignorance. The poor raven had to let it all out rather than simply nod when answering the blonde.

"Otou-sama. He- he. . ." Sasuke couldn't finish the sentence as he looked over to Naruto with sad eyes.

"Oh, _that_," Naruto answered uncomfortably, shifting his gaze. "Y-you saw him take me to Orochimaru then?" he asked, carefully as the raven nodded slowly, as he stared at his friend; he could see fear in the blonde's face. "I wonder whose side he's on. It sure seemed like he was working with Orochimaru," the blonde continued casually.

"He couldn't be, he just can't be. He. . . he wouldn't betray the village," the raven-haired teen answered with a touch of anger, not willing to accept what he had seen his father do.

"I don't understand it either, Sasuke," Naruto told his friend sympathetically with a shrug of his small shoulders. "Maybe it's some kind of mistake," he continued hopefully and smiled towards the raven, but the latter saw the corner of the blonde's mouth twitch.

"Damn it! It has to be a mistake! Otou-sama would never—" the raven snarled, but suddenly he stopped, and Naruto looked wide-eyed at his friend, surprised at his outburst.

"I'm sorry, Naruto," Sasuke said sincerely with a sigh, as he leaned back in the couch, as if trying to get away from reality. "It's just all so weird, I don't know what to think. It was strange, now that I come to think of it that Otou-sama refused to train me, or help at all before the Chuunin exams." The raven buried his head in his hands. He hadn't felt so confused or lost since Itachi was imprisoned. It was like he was re-living those days all over again.

Naruto moved from his spot on the couch and came over and sat down next to Sasuke, putting a hand on his shoulder; a small sincere smile played on his lips, as he bowed his head a little. "Hey, it's going to be okay, Sasuke. We'll find out the truth, and I'm sure Tou-san can help."

"Yeah, sure," Sasuke answered dismissively, still lost in his own thoughts and recognizing the differences between his own father and Naruto's.

Naruto frowned, his blonde brows furrowed together in deep thought. He didn't like to see his friend so down, it just wasn't like Sasuke, but then he suddenly grinned – an idea had been born. "Too bad we couldn't finish our battle," he told the raven causally, changing topics. "Of course, I was clearly ahead and would have won for sure," he went on, boastfully, hoping this would get a rise out of the prideful Uchiha.

The raven looked up and over at the blonde. "What? Are you joking?" That seemed to snap Sasuke out of his mood, and quickly, as Naruto had hoped. "_I_ was clearly ahead, and about to beat you, _usuratonkachi_!" he retorted with a glare and smirk on his facial features, it seemed as if everything was working according to the plan.

Naruto smirked at him. _That's more like the Sasuke I know! _"I guess we'll never know, _teme,_" he answered smugly with a shrug, as he released Sasuke's shoulder.

"Hmm," the raven grunted in response.

He was silent for another minute before speaking again though. "You fought well. You've gotten a lot stronger, Naruto," Sasuke admitted as lifted his eyebrows, and then clicked his tongue.

The blonde grinned at his friend; warmth was spreading in his body due to hearing those words. "Thanks! I trained like hell! And Tou-san really helped out too! I mean, he had to balance his time with Hokage duties, but he was able to take some time to train me."

Sasuke looked down again at these words, his hair covering his eyes, his expression unreadable.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked quietly after the silence was going on too long for the blonde's liking. In his mind, three seconds of silence was too long for the blonde. "You alright?"

The brunette finally spoke in a tone Naruto rarely heard from his friend. It sounded. . . envious? "You don't know how lucky you are to have the Yondaime for father, Naruto," he finally answered, clenching his fists, in anger. Why couldn't _his father_ see him like he used to see Itachi? Why couldn't _his father_ accept him for being the way he wanted to be?

Naruto was taken aback by these words, and it made him frown a little as he thought about it; his eyes flickering from one thing to another in the living room. What was Sasuke getting at? Before he could answer though, the raven went on.

"Otou-sama wouldn't even train me! I had to train by myself." He wasn't telling Naruto the whole truth; Kakashi had trained with him. . . but still – it wasn't his father. "In fact, he's been hardly there for me my entire life. It was always _Itachi_. I thought things would get better after _he_ was gone, but no, they didn't. I did everything I could to get Otou-sama to notice me, and for what? Nothing!" he shouted the last word, slamming his hand down hard on the couch.

Naruto eyes widened as the young Uchiha's fist connected with the couch cushion; he blinked in the process as well, his body going rigid without him knowing it. He had never seen Sasuke like this before. He knew the raven's relationship with his father wasn't the best, but he never thought it was that bad. He didn't know what to say, because the blonde never realized how good he had it with his own father. He. . . probably took his father and his relationship for granted. . . sometimes. A lot? Pretty often? Nearly all the time? Yep, all the time. . .

"Sasuke…I-I'm really sorry," the blonde answered quietly, stuttering, not knowing what else to say.

Sasuke nodded as he closed his eyes for a brief moment. "I didn't mean to take this out on you, Naruto. It's just been really frustrating," he told his blonde friend with a frown still covering his facial features.

"I understand," Naruto replied, and then he suddenly grinned at the raven, who quirked a brow in response.

"What?" the said raven asked, confused.

"During the tournament, I never got to show you my new move that Tou-san taught me," he replied proudly. "Want to see it?" He really wanted to get Sasuke out of his 'mood.' It just wasn't like him and bothered the blonde.

Sasuke shrugged as he heard that, he wondered what it could be. "Sure, why not?"

"Great, let's go to Tou-san's training grounds," the blonde gushed, dragging his friend towards the door that would lead to his father's private training area, which was outside at the back of the house.

"Wait, Naruto-sama! You can't leave the house!" An ANBU said, suddenly standing in front of Naruto, blocking the way for the teenagers.

"Aw, can't you just come with us?" the blonde begged, using his pleading eyes that no one in their right mind could resist. The ANBU simply looked at each other, and back at Naruto's big, blue, pleading eyes. . .

The ANBU stood by close by watching Naruto and Sasuke as they now stood together in Minato's private training grounds, wondering how they were defeated by a mere 12 year-old.

"Okay, Sasuke, get ready, 'cause you might wet your pants when you see this," Naruto taunted with a smirk on his lips as he studied his friend.

"Hn, whatever, _dobe_," the raven answered, receiving an annoyed look from the blonde at the nickname. "Come on; show me. I'm curious as to what you've got that's so special."

"Yosh, watch this!" Naruto said as he bit his thumb and with the blood, made the necessary hand signals and shouted, "_Kuchiyose no Jutsu_!" A puff of smoke revealed a small frog; it was Gamakichi.

"Yo! What up Naruto!" it said with a smile. "Got any snacks?"

The blonde groaned, slapping his forehead. "Not you again! I wanted Gamabunta! You can go," he said in a defeated tone, a disappointed frown visible between his blonde brows.

"Humph, fine, be that way," Gamakichi snorted as he disappeared in a 'poof' of smoke, leaving the blonde to feel a little uncomfortable for hurting the frog as well as embarrassed for his failure of summoning Gamabunta. He looked over at Sasuke, nervously. "Tou-san taught me how to summon toads, and once, I summoned this huge one!" the blonde explained, waving his arms for emphasis. "But I have a little trouble with it sometimes," he admitted sadly. He thought back to how he had managed to summon the giant toad boss, and a small blush crept on his cheeks. It was embarrassing! He could never admit what happened to Sasuke.

"That's okay, Naruto," the raven said, not seeing the blonde's blush as he walked over to his friend. "I think it's still cool that you can summon animals. I'm sure you'll get it down," he told the blonde encouragingly.

Naruto smiled half-heartedly at him as the blush grew a little. "Thanks."

"I have to tell you that I wasn't being completely honest with you earlier," the raven started, causing Naruto to raise a blonde brow.

"What do you mean?" the blonde of the two asked.

"Kakashi came by one day, and he offered to train me," the young Uchiha answered without looking Naruto in the eyes. "He mostly taught me about the Sharingan. . . but. . ." he trailed off, unable to look at the blonde.

"But. . . what?" the blonde prompted impatiently as he titled his head to the side.

"He taught me a new jutsu," he told his friend, afraid what the blonde might think of that.

"Really?" the said blonde's eyes got so big, and Sasuke could swear he saw sparkles in them. "Show me!" he gushed loudly, causing the raven to wince at the sound.

"Okay, calm down," the raven told the hyper blonde as he waved his hands in front of him as to stop said blonde from running him over.

"Stand back!" The raven began to power up. He formed the necessary hand signs and suddenly some visible chakra appeared in his hand that looked like lighting. It chirped and sizzled loudly, it was if a thousand birds were crying. "Chidori!" he shouted, and launched his attack on a nearby tree, which cut it completely in two.

"Sugoi, Sasuke!" Naruto gushed excitedly, but then suddenly frowned. Narrowing his eyes at the brunette, he shouted, "Were you going to use that on me?" he suddenly accused, shivering as he thought about himself getting hit with something as powerful as _that_.

Sasuke smirked at his friend as he saw a flash of fear in those cerulean eyes. "Only as a last resort," he teased with a chuckle, as he listened to Naruto rant and rave at him, vowing he'd learn a technique that would be just as good.

The ANBU wondered if there would be any trees left at the Hokage's house. . .

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After Minato had assessed the damage, and gave instructions for the repair of the village, he had to stop by his office to write a report of these events. It was important to keep such records and archive them. It was the last thing he wanted to do, after all he had been through, but he just had to get it over with. Then he could go home, and see how Naruto and Sasuke were doing.

As he finished up the report, and filed it, no doubt the elders would want to read it, Minato sighed as he rubbed his forehead. It was then that he saw something on his desk that caught his attention. It was message that was sent from Suna, before the Chuunin exam, stating that they couldn't participate in the exam, due to economic depression they were currently facing. They wanted to meet with Minato to negotiate some kind of financial assistance. He hadn't had time to do anything about it as of yet. He frowned as he re-read the message. They must really be desperate. He would have to proceed with caution. Deciding he needed to reply to the Yondaime Kazekage, he wrote a reply, stating that he would like to arrange a meeting to conduct negotiations. After he finished, he looked it over, and then sealed it up. Now that he came to think of it, didn't the Kazekage have a son that was Naruto's age, named Gaara? Summoning a messaging bird, Minato tied the message to its leg, and send it on its way. The weary Hokage, finally made his made home.

Sasuke had been invited to stay the night, and both boys were delighted. Minato still hadn't heard from Kakashi yet about Fugaku, and decided it best not to tell Sasuke for now. He didn't realize that the raven had seen what his father had done and was therefore unprepared for what happened the next morning.

That morning after breakfast, Sasuke decided to pop the question. "Hokage-sama?" he started.

Minato looked over at him, after taking a sip of his tea. "Yes, Sasuke?"

Naruto looked sideways at his friend, wondering what he was going to ask his father.

"May I asked you a question?" the raven continued, looking serious.

"Of course," the taller blonde answered congenially.

"I-it's about…Otou-sama," Sasuke began. "In the Chuunin stadium. He took Naruto to Orochimaru. Why?" he asked looking at the Yondaime. Naruto looked over at his father also, wondering how he was going to answer that.

Minato sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. This was getting complicated. "You saw what your father did?" he asked, as the raven nodded in response. "I'm not sure how to answer your question, Sasuke. But I can tell you this--I have some people investigating the matter, and I will inform you when I know more." It wasn't exactly a lie, but the older blonde wasn't ready to reveal Fugaku's betrayal yet.

"Oh, well, thanks, Hokage-sama," the raven answered, sounding a bit dejected.

Minato smiled at him and then looked at the clock. "I have to get to the office now. I'll see you later," he called as he rushed out the door, leaving the two boys alone.

When he got the office, he saw that a messenger bird was waiting for him, no ordinary one either. It was Takamaru, the fastest messenger in Suna. He recognized because of the markings, white under the wings and tail. He took the message and opened it.

_We are pleased that you are willing to negotiate with us. If you would come to Suna, as soon as possible, we can have the negotiations there. _

_Sincerely,_

_Yondaime Kazekage_

Minato felt like banging his head against something hard so its contents would splatter all over the walls— Okay! Maybe not that brutally, but still! How often do you learn that you have to travel through a _desert_ – out of all the freaking places on earth –to negotiate about something as commonplace as an economic depression?

He had decided after reading the Kazekage's message this morning, to go to Suna at once. He still hadn't heard from Kakashi yet, as to the mission he gave him regarding Fugaku, but this had to be taken care of. Since Konoha is one of the bigger villages with a lot of power and resources, it was natural for Suna to ask for help, even though they hadn't always been on the best of terms. But just because Konoha is this specific village doesn't make things easier for the blonde Hokage, do you want to know why?

This is the deal; the blonde Hokage will have to sign a contract with the Kazekage of Suna, but it's a contract of great importance, and to sign such a contract takes long meetings and discussions, and in order to get there, he had to cross three days worth of desert, isn't that lovely?

Naruto had just recovered from the incident during the Chuunin exams and since Minato, as the Hokage, would have to be present during all of these long meetings, he can't _leave_ his son at home, as well as he can't _stay _home with him either. Sasuke had left after the taller blonde and come home and announced that they had to go to Suna at once for business. The raven felt a pang of jealousy. Naruto got to do all the fun stuff. Well, he'd just devote his time to training. Naruto was excited to go at least, since he had never been there before. He was also pleased to learn that the Kazekage had a son his age.

This whole trip would take at least a week or two. . . Travelling to Suna would take two to three days, so one week will go to travelling while the residual days would include the whole contract signing and the meetings.

"Naruto!" The Yondaime Hokage yelled from the kitchen as he was making breakfast for himself and his son. "You've got to come down now! We'll leave in two hours, and you haven't even packed yet!"

"Coming, Tou-san!" was the reply from said boy's room. "I can't find my hitai-ate!"

Minato rolled his eyes and sighed as his eyes landed on said 'disappeared' hitai-ate; it was lying on the kitchen sink where Naruto had left it during dinner last night. _And he only noticed it was missing just now?_ He thought dryly.

"It's already downstairs Naruto! Come on, and move your orange clad ass to the table," Minato yelled again, but with a lower voice, as he heard that his son was moving towards the stairs from the second floor.

"Here I am!" Naruto shouted as he rounded the doorpost, grabbing his hitai-ate in the process, and then he headed for the kitchen table. "Gomen, Tou-san," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"You can say that again," Minato retorted as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You know that we're supposed to leave for Suna by noon, and it's already 10am."

"Gomen nasai Tou-san, but I'm so excited to get there," the younger blonde answered as he pouted, using his puppy eyes on his father.

"Don't even bother with those eyes young man. I'm stressed, and I'm trying to finalize the last of the preparations. Now remember, I need you on your best behavior, Naruto," the older blonde warned the younger.

"I know, I know, Tou-san, you told me this already," the said blonde answered, rolling his eyes.

"It's important enough to say again," the taller blonde went on, as he grabbed a piece of bread and some butter, making himself a sandwich. "You are a reflection of our village and more importantly, as the son of the Hokage."

"I got it already, okay, Tou-san?" Naruto complained.

"Very well. Eat something, and get packed. At least the Kazekage has a son your age. I think he has two older children as well, that I think you'll be able to meet," Minato went on as Naruto started eating.

"I wonder what they're like?" Naruto wondered out loud.

"I don't know, really. But I'm sure they're nice. I met them once a long time ago," the older blonde explained. Now hurry up, we need to get ready to go," Minato urged his son.

"Alright!" Naruto huffed as he gulped down his breakfast.

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As Minato had predicted, the passage to Suna did take three days. There were others that traveled with the Hokage and his son – about a dozen ANBUs, a few Jounin, and Special Ops Jounins.

But when they finally arrived, they were met by a few of Suna's Jounins and ANBUs, and to judge by their facial expressions, they were only too happy to see the Yondaime Hokage.

"Welcome Hokage-sama," one of the Jounins said as he stepped forward with a bow. He made some introductions, and them Minato introduced his people. "I'll lead you to the Kazekage's office, along with your crew, and—" the man stopped as he noticed that Naruto was among the men as well, and that he was the only child.

"Um, I'm sorry to tell you this, Hokage-sama, but no children are allowed during the meetings," the man said again, a frown was visible on his brow.

"Oi! Look here, I am no _child,_" Naruto retorted indignantly, very upset as to having be referred to as a mere child.

Minato smiled tightly at the man, and then turning his attention to his son, he bent down and whispered in his ear, "Naruto! Mind your manners and let me handle this please." Straightening up, he addressed the man before him. "I apologize for my son. He's a little tired from the journey," Naruto huffed at this and folded his arms. "Where can _my son_ stay then?" he asked, emphasizing the words 'my son' so that the Jounin would understand that Minato wanted Naruto to be safe.

"I will have the children of the Kazekage stay with him at their house. They will entertain him just fine, if that meets your approval, Hokage-sama," the Jounin answered with a small bow again, as Minato nodded.

"That'll be acceptable," the blonde Hokage answered. "I also want an ANBU to stay with him as well."

Naruto huffed angrily again at this. He didn't want to be babysat, like some little kid. However, his curiosity got the better of him about meeting the kids of the Kazekage.

"Of course, Hokage-sama," he answered and with one final bow from all of the Jounins and ANBUs of Suna, they started walking towards the mansion to drop off Naruto first, and then head towards the Kazekage Tower, where the Yondaime Kazekage would be awaiting them.

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At the mansion, Naruto had been dropped off, with Minato humiliating him by telling him to behave. The oldest, a daughter, had come down and introductions were made. Her name was Temari. She was tall, had blonde hair and blue eyes. Her hair was pulled back in four short pony-tails. She carried what looked like an enormous fan on her back. After having the situation explained, she led Naruto into the main room.

"So, you're the Yondaime's son, eh?" she asked conversationally.

"Yeah, that's me!" Naruto chirped.

"I have a brother your age, you guys would probably get along real well. I'll go get him for you," Temari said as she left Naruto in the lounge.

While Naruto was waiting for her, he heard a voice behind him. "Hey, shrimp, who are you?"

Naruto turned around so fast he thought he heard his head snap. "Itai."

He saw a boy taller than him covered in black. He wore a black hood with what looked like ears on top of the hood. He also had purple markings on his face.

"I'm not a shrimp! My name is Namikaze Naruto," the blonde said a little huffily.

"The son of the Yondaime of Konoha?" the other boy asked with surprise.

"Yes. Our father's are meeting together and he left me here with you guys. What is your name?" Naruto asked.

"Kankuro. My younger brother will be delighted to meet you," he said smirking just a bit.

"That's what your sister said," the blonde answered. Just as he finished speaking Temari came back with the youngest of the Sand siblings.

"Namikaze Naruto, let me introduce you to Gaara," Temari announced, as Gaara stepped into the room. "We'll just leave you two to get acquainted." She and Kankuro left.

Naruto eyed Gaara curiously. He had red hair, and dark circles under his eyes. He also carried a gourd on his back. Weird. The blonde stood up and held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Gaara," he said with a smile.

Gaara eyed Naruto's hand and finally took it. "Likewise," he said quietly.

_Hm…must be shy_, the blonde thought.

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Meanwhile, Minato was in the Kazekage's meeting place in the Tower, which was located in the central part of the village.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Hokage-sama," the Kazekage began.

"Not a problem at all," Minato replied. "Why don't you start by telling me what you need and we'll negotiate from there?" he suggested.

"Very well. I trust that the arrangements that were made for your son are to your satisfaction?" the Kazekage continued.

"Yes, quite, thank you," the blonde Hokage answered.

"Excellent. Well, let's begin. Here is the proposal that I want to make," the brown-haired Kazekage began.

The older blonde tried hard to pay attention to what the Kazekage was saying. His thoughts kept drifting towards his son. He wondered if he was all right. Was he keeping out of trouble? Was he using good manners? Would he be safe?

"…do you think, Hokage-sama?" the Kazekage's voice cut into Minato's thoughts. He shook his head.

"Um…yes, that sounds fine," he answered, feeling embarrassed that he wasn't paying attention. He could be as bad as Naruto at times.

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"So, Gaara, what level ninja are you?" Naruto asked the red-head conversationally.

"Genin," he replied. "I really wanted to take the Chuunin exams, but due the economic depression, Suna wasn't able to participate this year," the red-head answered.

"Gee, I'm sorry. I hope that we can help you and then you can take the next exam," Naruto offered. "I'm a Genin too and I was taking the exam when this guy Orochimaru showed up and ruined it. But it was cool how Tou-san kicked his ass," he blonde gestured wildly as he talked. "I think I would have been a Chuunin for sure. So, I'll have to wait for the next exam too. Maybe we can be in it together," he finished.

"Perhaps so," Gaara answered. Thinking for a moment, he went on. "Although, maybe we don't need to wait for the next Chuunin exams to find out something," he added thoughtfully, giving Naruto a peculiar look.

"What do you mean?" the blonde asked.

"What would you say to having a little 'friendly' competition between the two of us? You know, to see who's stronger?" the red-head asked.

Naruto thought it over. Then he grinned widely. "You're on!"

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Back at the Kazekage Tower, the meeting was dragging on way more than Minato thought was necessary. He was actually started to get bored. On top of that, he was getting a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that something was going to happen. Something bad that would involve his son. The older blonde couldn't explain it, but he knew better than to ignore the feeling. He'd felt it before and had ended up being dead on.

"Excuse me," he interpreted the Kazekage. "I'm sorry for my rudeness, but we really need to wrap this up. I need to check on my son," Minato explained.

"Of course, I understand, Hokage-sama. We'll be finished soon, and then we'll be sending you on your way," he said with smile that seemed a little fake.

"Thank you," Minato answered with a tight smile. There was something about the way the Kazekage was looking at him that the older blonde didn't like.

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Gaara led Naruto the training grounds in the village.

"Okay, Gaara. Let's see what you've got!" Naruto challenged the red-head.

"As you wish," Gaara answered, coolly. "But don't complain when you lose."

"Hah! As if! Here I come!" Naruto charged him. The ANBU who was watching them was suddenly gone. In his place were four pairs of eyes watching the two teen's fighting.

"There he is. The Yondaime's son. He fits the description the Kazekage gave us. Now that he's alone, we'll have no trouble securing him," one Iwagakure nin said to his partner.

"Right," he answered the first.

"Let's go."

Naruto was having a hard time getting past Gaara's sand defense. It was like the Sand moved on its own will apart from the red-head. But how the heck was that happening?

Suddenly, their spar was interrupted by the appearance of two ninja.

"Oi!" Naruto yelled at them. "Who the hell are you guys?" He saw by looking at their hitai-ate symbols, he saw they were not from Suna, but rather Iwagakure, Land of Earth.

"Get the blonde," the taller one said to his partner.

The said blonde knew then what they were after. His father had warned him all his life that because of who he was, he would always be a target for kidnapping, or worse. That day had finally come. But the blonde didn't train his butt off for nothing.

"Naruto! Run! I'll hold them off!" Gaara shouted.

"But, I can't just leave you here!" Naruto protested.

"Yes you can! I'll be fine! Go, now!" the red-head told him again. Naruto nodded and started to run.

Gaara turned to face his enemies, unleashed a wall of sand onto them. Such a blow would normally knock out a ninja. Naruto stopped and turned to look, shouting a big victory howl. Gaara smirked and started walking back towards the blonde.

Naruto gasped and Gaara turned to see the sand shifting as the pair emerged from the sand. Gaara was shocked to see this turn of events and yelled at the stupid blonde, "Get the HELL out of HERE!!"

Nodding, Naruto decided to do one more thing that he knew would help. Forming the familiar cross sign, he shouted, "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Twenty Naruto's appeared. "Catch me if you can!" they shouted, as they all took off running in different directions.

The Iwa nin stared Gaara down. "You'll be sorry you let him get away. After all, you're disobeying the Kazekage's direct orders," the leader nin said.

"What?" Gaara was surprised by this. What the hell was this guy talking about?

The pair of ninjas began their pursuit; Gaara raised a sand wall to block them. His mind was set, he would defend the honor of his land. "This is _my_ country and _my_ guest is under _my_ protection." Suddenly, a spray of the sand wall broke free and hurled toward Gaara. While the other the Iwa Nins walked through the wall of sand and continued their pursuit.

Naruto soon noticed that he was being pursued. One of the Iwa nins have formed his own clones and was after him. _Where the hell is that ANBU that was supposed to be with me? He must have gotten taken out! _He thought as he turned a corner. The Iwa nin was good. He was taking out Naruto's clones too easily. Turning another corner, and running down an alley, he found he was trapped.

Turning around to face his opponent, there was nothing for it, but to use taijutsu. Running towards the Iwa nin, Naruto executed some very impressive taijutsu, along with throwing kunai and shuriken, at his opponent, who blocked and retaliated with some of his own, which Naruto was able to dodge. While they were still fighting, the other nin had scaled the wall behind the two combatants and was making his way to ambush the unsuspecting blonde. Before Naruto could react, he suddenly found a cloth covering his nose and mouth. It had a funny smell. . . he recognized it as some kind of knock out poison. . . _Kuso!_ _What happened to Gaara? _Was his last thought, as blonde passed out, and collapsed into the waiting man's arms.

"About time," the leader nin said. "Come on, let's go." They suddenly disappeared with an unconscious Naruto between them and Gaara nowhere to be seen.

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**TBC**

**AN: Sorry for the longer wait. I had to write new chapters for once. Read on and you'll understand why. Okay, the Suna stuff was written mostly by MrsHellman. And my husband, Jeremy, added some fighting parts with Gaara. He's awesome with that! I tweaked the rest of it. I also want to thank anemix, who gave me this idea to do all of this! Sorry the fighting wasn't longer, and yeah, maybe it's a stretch that Gaara was defeated so easily, but it's AU and anything can happen. **


	8. Chapter 8

**My Way of the Ninja**

**Chapter 8

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Beta'd: MrsHellman

**Disclaimer: Is the author's name Kishimoto? It's not? Then I don't own Naruto!

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Minato finished the meeting and was accompanied by the Kazekage, as they made their way over to his mansion to retrieve his son. The nagging feeling the blonde had was growing stronger by the minute, he simply had to make sure Naruto was safe, because this feeling was getting stronger for each second. As a father, Minato had felt this feeling before, and it had never indicated anything good in the past.

When they got to the house, the Kazekage spoke to his oldest daughter about Naruto. She had she hadn't seen in a long time. "I think he may have left with Gaara," she said in a soft voice, her eyes being the opposite of soft though.

_Well, that's not good__. . .__ at least the ANBU is with him__. . .__ but still__. . ._ Minato trailed off worriedly. _She doesn't seem to like Naruto that much. . ._

"Perhaps they came back. I'll get someone to look for him," the Kazekage suggested to the agitated blonde Hokage, as he noticed the pained expression the blonde wore.

"Thank you," Minato answered, but he couldn't get away from the terrible feeling he had about his son; this was getting really serious. . .

After a thorough search of the entire house, Naruto was nowhere to be found and Minato felt gripped with fear. He couldn't help but feel his pulse escalate along with his breathing; he was panicking, and the Kazekage obviously noticed, because he was about to say something.

"Where is _my son_?" he demanded the Kazekage, interrupting the other man.

"He must be in the village somewhere with my son," the Kazekage answered calmly as he studied the other man's face.

"I want the whole village searched! I won't rest until he's found!" Minato answered sharply as he turned away from the Kazekage, and walked towards the other part of the room, his steps echoing between the walls.

"As you wish, Hokage-sama," the Kazekage answered with a small frown between his brows – due to uncertainty or something else was impossible to know. But there was no idea in trying to calm the Hokage; a lot of people knew how protective the man was over his son after the death of Kushina.

A search party was formed and sent out, Minato among one group, leading it per say, and being the most worried of the all, of course.

The Kazekage smiled as he saw the Hokage leave; everything was going according to plan.

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Naruto slowly awoke, feeling groggy and disoriented, it was as if he saw everything though a mist; he looked around slowly, realizing he was outdoors, in a large open area with few trees. _I must be close to Iwagakure, _he thought. As he continued to look around, he saw that he was tied to a rock pillar - he groaned. No wonder he ached all over. His wrists felt sore as well as his shoulders from being bent strangely.

He saw his two captors close by, seeing they had set up camp here, and he scowled as he realized he couldn't see their faces from this distance.

"Finally awake, I see," one Iwa nin spoke up – the leader. He walked up to Naruto, and the blonde had a hard time to see his face clearly, his vision was still a little blurry.

"What the hell do you want with me?" Naruto growled out as he squinted with his eyes, trying to make out some facial features.

"Ransom," he answered simply. "You are being held for ransom."

"Money? That's what you guys are after?" the blonde asked in disbelief, his eyes going back to their normal size. "How did you get into Suna undetected?"

"That's our little secret, kid," the leader answered with a smirk; that's what Naruto thought it was at least. "All you have to do is stay nice and cooperative, and you'll live. Cross us, or try to escape, and you'll die."

"I thought you needed me alive." Naruto swallowed nervously as those words left his mouth. They wanted him alive, right? Right. . .?

"We get more if you're alive, but there are those who will pay for you dead as well," the man answered as he turned away to tend the dying fire.

_Great, this is just great! _Naruto thought, as he tried to think of a way out of this mess. _I hope Gaara is okay, __at least__._

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The day was almost over, and Naruto could not be found throughout the entire village of Suna. Minato was about to give up, when he saw a red mop of hair just a few feet from him. It wasn't until the saw the gourd on said person's back, that he realized it was the Kazekage's youngest son; Gaara. His heart and pace quickened as he ran over to the boy, he and Naruto where supposedly together, and there was no sign of his son. When he got to the boy, he turned him over, as he had been lying face down in the dirt.

"Hokage-sama," he spoke, opening his eyes slowly, squinting because of the sun, it was annoying.

"Gaara, was it?" Minato asked, as he received a nod. He smiled sheepishly as he helped the boy move into a sitting position.

"I'm sorry to say that your son, Naruto, has got kidnapped by Iwa nins, Hokage-sama," he trailed off, coughing violently.

_Damn __it__! I had a feeling it would be something like this! _"Do you know where they went?" he asked the red-head.

"No," he answered plainly, and Minato couldn't help but notice the expressionless emotion in the boy's face.

"Are you going to be alright?" the blonde asked him again, the corner of his mouth twitching in the slightest. "Maybe you need to go to a hospital."

"No, I'm fine. Could you help me back to the Kazekage's house?" Gaara asked as he coughed again.

"Of course," Minato answered, slinging the boy's arm around his shoulder and headed back to the Kazekage's mansion, it wasn't that far to walk, thankfully.

When they got back to the mansion, the Kazekage was surprised to see his son walking next to the Hokage.

"What happened?" he asked the taller blonde as he rushed forward; Gaara noticing the fake concern and somehow it made his "nonexistent" heart, clench.

"Naruto was kidnapped by Iwa nin. Gaara tried to stop them, but he was overpowered and knocked out, according to what he told me," Minato supplied, as he focused on the fatigued red-head in his arms rather than the Kazekage.

_Gaara was overpowered by Iwa nin, eh? Interesting. I'll have to make sure he doesn't interfere with my plans…_"That's terrible! How could that have happened?" the brunette asked Minato with a frown.

"That's what I want to know," the blonde Hokage turned to the Kazekage. "How would Iwa nin get into Suna undetected, unless they had help?" he accused as Gaara remained silent at the exchange after his father gave him a warning look. The red-head frowned remember the Iwa nin's words; "_You're going against the Kazekage's orders."_

"Are you insinuating that someone here would do such a thing after securing a treaty with you?" the Kazekage shot back with an angry tone in his voice, making Minato narrow his eyes; there was something off here, but before the Minato could reply, a messenger was shown in, and was taken to the blonde Hokage.

"Hokage-sama, this message just came in for you," he said with a bow and handed the said message to the Hokage.

"Thank you," he answered as he opened the scroll with a 'kai' to release the seal on it. He quickly scanned its contents with a serious facial expression – it was a ransom demand.

Gaara was right; Iwagakure nins had kidnapped his son, and they wanted ¥10,000,000 **{¥ = yen} **for his safe return**(1)**. And to top the damn thing off, he had 72 hours to comply. At that time, another message would be sent with the coordinates for the trade. He was told to come alone; if he didn't show up 24 hours later, or if he brought anyone with him, his son would die.

Minato clenched the note is his hand as he'd finished it.

"What is it, Hokage-sama?" the Kazekage asked innocently, a faked frown between his brows.

"It's a ransom demand," Minato answered quickly, his teeth gritted. "I seriously doubt that Iwa nin would be able to get in here undetected without help from someone in the higher ups," he went on looking directly at the Kazekage. "Perhaps, you didn't think Konoha would pull through with the money you need, so you have to secure another way, just in case. My son would be the perfect target," he retorted with a sneer, the Kazekage's face turned read as he heard the accusation.

"How dare you!" the brunette Kazekage spluttered indignantly. "You should be careful, Hokage-sama. Such, _accusations_ could lead to war," he warned the blonde with a raised, warning, finger.

"Oh, I would say the same to you. If I find out that you did arrange to have my son kidnapped, that's a war you just might have on your hands!" With that, the blonde Hokage stormed out of the mansion, his entourage following closely behind him.

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After leaving the Suna border, Minato turned to his entourage. "What you going to do, Hokage-sama? Do you really suspect Suna being involved?"

"I have no doubt about it, but I can't prove it outright. The ANBU I left with Naruto would have reported back to me by now. He must have gotten taken out, so we'll never know exactly what happened, but I definitely suspect foul play. For now, we're going back to Konoha. I have a plan," the blonde Hokage answered in all seriousness as confusion as well as something akin to concern flashed across his men's faces. "We'll be traveling fast, so if you can't keep up, don't worry. Just get back to Konoha as fast as you can."

"Hai!" they answered in chorus as they started to run faster.

The blonde sensed someone's presence close by. "Who's there? Come on out!" he called as he looked around with narrowed eyes.

Out came the red-headed boy – Gaara, and it made Minato raise a brow in surprise.

"Let me come with you," he said simply, his arms crossed over his chest in a demanding way, that made Minato think about Kushina somehow. They were both redheads and they both had tough attitudes.

"Why?" the blonde asked, suspiciously as he frowned.

"I want to help. Those nin attacked in my country, while Naruto was under my protection. Besides, I owe them for beating me," the red-head answered, nearly maniacally and it sent shivers down Minato's spine – this kid was strange, to say in the least.

"Does the Kazekage know about this?" the blonde asked instead, trying to keep focus on the boy wanting to help, rather than the boy being strange.

"No. He would have forbid me from coming," Gaara replied solemnly, as he frowned sadly – the Kazekage wasn't giving his son any love, it was all too noticeable.

"Very well. You do this at your own risk; I'll be moving quickly. We're headed back to Konoha," the blonde explained, as Gaara nodded, his arms still crossed and that expression of coolness still in place.

After they had traveled for quite some time, the blonde Hokage decided to question Gaara further about his intentions to help him rescue his son. After all, this could all merely be a ruse by the Kazekage himself to catch Minato off guard.

"Gaara-san, forgive me, but how you do expect to handle these nins when you couldn't before?" he asked the red-head who was surprisingly keeping pace with the blonde.

"I underestimated them before. It won't happen again. I have…special abilities I can use, if necessary that never fail," the red-head explained coldy.

Minato raised a brow at this. Special abilities that never fail? It sounded suspicious, and awfully similar to…Naruto?

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Naruto kept dozing in and out of a fitful sleep, due to his current bound state.

His captors watched him sleep with troubled facial expressions. "Do you think the demands will be met?" asked the first nin as he turned his head towards his companion.

"Absolutely. The Yondaime cares deeply for his son; he'll deliver," the leader nin answered with a smirk, but also with a sadistic tone to it all.

"What if he finds out the Kazekage helped us?" the first nin asked as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. "He'd get mad, right?"

"He won't. He can't prove it anyway. By now, he's probably heading back to Konoha. We'll send the next message there," the leader answered as he turned away, and walked over to two sleeping bags, where he and the other ninja would spend the night. Soon, they too, went to sleep.

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The Kazekage was in his office, when a Jounin came in to report to him.

"Kazekage-sama," he bowed.

"Have you heard anything from Iwagakure yet?" the brunette asked, while sipping his tea.

"They have secured the Hokage's son, and are waiting for the ransom. But there's a new development, Kazekage-sama," the Jounin went on a bit reluctantly.

"Yes?"

"Your son is missing."

The brunette dropped his teacup, as it smashed loudly when it hit the floor.

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Back at Konoha – a day later – Minato had returned to find, surprisingly, tons of paperwork waiting for him. He couldn't deal with that now though; he was too anxious waiting for the next message from the Iwa kidnappers. What if they changed the ransom? What if they decided that they wouldn't let Naruto go? What if they— Minato stopped in his thinking.

_They're going to turn real if I keep on thinking about it, and that's the last thing I want t happen right now,_ the blonde thought as he sighed deeply. When they had returned to Konoha, Minato had Gaara stay at the Hokage's house, under ANBU guard. If the Kazekage did find out, there really could be a war. _So help me, if they harmed a hair on his head__. . ._

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his office door.

"Come in," the blonde Hokage called as he gulped, he'd been worrying so much these past few days that he was a bit slow when it came to reaction.

It was one of his former students; Kakashi. "Yo, sensei, my group has returned."

"Ah, Kakashi, that's great! I just got back from a treaty with Suna, but…something terrible has happened. Naruto's been kidnapped by Iwa nin," he told the Jounin, who raised a visible brow at this. "I suspect that Suna was involved," the blonde told him with a sigh, as he sunk back in his chair, raking a hand through his knotted hair.

"So, what you are going to do?" the silver haired Jounin asked with a still raised brow. "Chase after the culprits?"

"It's a ransom demand. They're going to send another message with the rendezvous point. I can rescue Naruto without paying the money," Minato answered with a grin, making the other male frown. "I'm just waiting for it to arrive. Should be today."

"Is it okay to give you my report?" Kakashi asked, trying to get away from the subject involving Naruto and kidnapping.

"Yes, I want to know the status of Fugaku," the blonde Hokage answered with a serious nod, his eyes became solemn.

The masked Jounin nodded and cleared his throat "We found Fugaku, but he was already dead. Apparently, he killed himself. Suicide," he informed him with a frown on his facial features, along with closed eyes.

"Damn it!" Minato growled, clenching his fist, and then slamming it down on the desk. He had wanted him alive to question him. There was still a piece to this whole puzzle that was missing. Orochimaru said there was more than one person to benefit from the deal he had made. Kakashi shook him out his thoughts.

"There's more, sensei. I went to the Uchiha compound to search there, and we found Mikoto murdered," Kakashi went on as he opened his eyes, but they were downcast. He simply couldn't look his former sensei in the eyes. "She was found in the river."

"Murdered?" the tall blonde frowned, as he felt a string pull on his heart. Of course, Fugaku must have kept her in the dark and didn't want to take the risk that she would see his betrayal, so it he got her out of the way. _This will complicate things somewhat. _

"Thank you, Kakashi," Minato told him, giving him a small, sad smile.

"Anything else you need?" the tall, silver-haired Jounin asked him, shaking Minato out of his saddened thoughts.

"No, that's all for now, Kakashi," he answered with a frown between his blonde brows, making him look at least ten years older than in fact he was. "I'll need to you keep an eye on things, when I leave," he added, as the Jounin nodded in agreement. "And Kakashi?"

"Hai, sensei?"

"Keep the Fugaku matter under wraps at all costs for now," he told him seriously; a finger pointed towards the younger man.

"Hai!" Kakashi answered, and left in a swirl of leaves.

Minato sighed heavily as he turned his chair around to look out the window. He was really hoping for some good news – things just got a hell of lot more complicated. His gaze turned towards the direction of the Uchiha compound and sighed. Now that Fugaku was dead, what would the Uchiha clan without their main leader? What exactly would he tell Sasuke about his parents? No doubt the young Uchiha must have noticed his mother is missing by now. He was suprised that the raven hadn't approached him about it yet. . .He and Naruto had been gone for over a week now. Sighing and running a hand through his hair, he got up to talk a walk. He would have to speak with Sasuke about all of this after he got Naruto back.

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Minato had decided to make some headway on the paperwork sitting on his desk while he waited for the next message. It was better than sitting around doing nothing, nothing, and nothing and once again nothing. But a few hours later, he heard a knock on his door again.

"Enter," he called as he finished a paper he was writing on.

It was the special decoder Jounin that entered. "We just got this message addressed to you, Hokage-sama. It was encrypted, but I have decoded it now," she said handing over the scroll to the Hokage himself.

"Thank you, that is all," Minato answered, dismissing her, as she bowed and left graciously. He read the message, which gave him the coordinates for the exchange point and it made him sigh in relief as well as concern.

_Well, they'll be in for a big surprise,_ he thought, as he quickly summoned Hatake Kakashi. He didn't have to wait long before he saw the smoke appear, revealing his former student.

"You called sensei?" he asked lazily, hands behind his back, and his legs parted slightly.

"I did. I got the message from the Iwa nin. I'm going to leave now, and you're in charge while I'm gone," the blonde informed him with a raised finger. "There's not much to do, but leave the paperwork until I get back – there were a few document from Konoha here. But if there are letters that needs to be signed within a certain time, you can speak to Rakuabout it."

"Wakkatte **(2)**, sensei," Kakashi answered with a small bow, but there was also some relief in the air; no paperwork – awesome.

"Well then! I'm off," the Yondaime said as he rose from his seat. "I'm going to get my son back and those rogue Iwa nins won't know what hit them!"

Kakashi watched his former sensei disappear in his flash of yellow light. "Indeed they won't. Good luck, sensei," he said quietly as he walked towards the desk the blond had recently left.

Stopping by the mansion to pick up Gaara, the blonde informed the red-head of his plan, while traveling quickly through the trees, their destination Iwagakure border.

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**TBC**

**1. 10 million yen is equivalent to $****102,000 roughly.**

**2. ****Wakkatte- I got it, I understand**

**AN: Okay, shorter chapter, sorry for the longer wait. I writing these chapters new, since I'm adding some extra bits I wasn't orignally planning on. There is a reason why Sasuke hasn't mentioned his missing parents yet, so be patient, you'll find out why soon. I'm making Gaara slightly nicer in this AU fic than in the anime. I have reasons for this and why he's helping Minato, k? My husband is going to write a ****kick-ass**** fight scene for the next chapter, and I had to cut it off here, or it would have been ridiculously long! He has enough fighting material to make another whole chapter! So stayed tuned for that next time! **


	9. Chapter 9

My Way of the Ninja

Chapter 9

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Beta: MrsHellman

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Minato would get more screen time!

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Minato and Gaara continued their journey to Iwagakure. It took them two days to get there, which was just in time to meet the kidnappers at their demanded time. The blonde looked at the red-head out of the corner of his eye. He still didn't know if he could completely trust him, but he had already taken some risk to try to protect Naruto, if that wasn't a ruse. However, the red-head was willing to help him rescue his son…but why?

When they got close to the border, it was about an hour before the rendezvous. The blonde turned to Gaara to discuss the final plan.

"Gaara-san, here's what I want to do. We need to scope things out first. I want to know where my son is being kept, so we can get him to safety. That's the top priority," the blonde told the red-headed teen.

"I have a technique that can handle that in such a way that we won't even have to move from here and risk detection," Gaara responded coolly.

"Excellent," Minato replied, raising a brow. "Proceed."

Gaara closed one eye, and placing his finger in it, he gathered some sand, which materialized into what looked like an eye, made out of sand. He sent it onward.

_Gosh, I'm impressed, but this kid is kind of creepy! _Minato thought as he watched the eye go on ahead of them.

"I can see everything," Gaara told the blonde Hokage. The eye moved along, giving the red-head the perfect view of the landscape, which was fairly open and barren. There were a few trees, but mostly it was rocks and hills. Gaara saw a camp nearby, with a group of Iwa nins there.

"I see a group of Iwa nins gathered together just outside the border," the red-head reported.

"Damn! So the kidnappers aren't alone, even though they told me to come alone!" Minato huffed. _Oh well, it's not that big of a surprise. Besides, I didn't come alone either. _

As the eye traveled further, it finally found Naruto.

"Your son is being guarded by a squadron of four Iwa nins, about twenty feet from the main camp. He's bound, blindfolded and gagged," Gaara reported, "but he seems unharmed," he added, taking his finger off his eye, the sand collapsed and eye technique was dispelled.

"Good work, Gaara-san," Minato told him. "Here's the plan from here. I'll go alone to talk to the kidnappers. I trust you to free Naruto, and keep him safe, alright?"

Gaara nodded;He would do more than merely protect the Yondaime's legacy, but the Yondaime didn't need to know the red-head's ulterior motives.

"I'm going to stall them as long as possible to give you time to get past the enemy lines, the rest will be up to you," Minato instructed. "Remember these guys use earth-style jutsus, it will be hard with your sand techniques. They can even blend into the environment, making them hard to detect," he warned the red-headed teen.

"I can handle it," Gaara responded, no emotion on his face. The next minute he disappeared in a swirl of sand.

Minato raised a brow, impressed, but also a little uncertain. _Time to act,_ he thought. The blonde approached the said exchange point with confidence. He saw three four man squads with one man leading them. It didn't matter to Minato how many nins there were. He idly wondered how these guys didn't know about the Third Ninja war and what Iwa nins were told to do if they ever saw Konoha's Yellow flash. Oh well, no matter, they would soon realize their mistake in not learning their history **(1).**

"I'm here, and alone, just as you asked," Minato announced in a bored tone.

"Yondaime-sama, pleasure to see you. My name is Shoeken," the leader said, in an oily voice, as he stepped forward from the main group.

"You didn't come alone, I see," Minato pointed out, gesturing to the group of nins.

"Precautionary methods, Hokage-sama, in case you tried anything," Shoeken answered.

"Where is my son? If you harmed him in any way," the blonde threatened.

"Tch, Hokage-sama, making demands already," Shoeken replied, shaking his head. "We have the advantage here, and more importantly, your _son._ I can have him killed in an instant. Where's the money?" he demanded, coldly.

Minato bristled at the man's words. "I thought that we could talk more. I could make this deal a much more mutually beneficial arrangement for both of us," he answered, deliberately avoiding the question regarding the money, and began his negotiations, and really his distraction.

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Gaara easily used his sand to blend into the barren environment, as he way his way towards the enemies' camp. He made himself visible once he got the area where Naruto was being held.

"Who's there?" one of the Iwa nins asked, as they all brandished their weapons.

"I'm Gaara of the Desert, the Kazekage's son," the red-headed teen announced as he came into view.

"Why are you here?" the first one asked.

"I'm under the Kazekage's orders to make sure nothing goes wrong here," he answered emotionlessly.

_Gaara's here? _ Naruto thought as he listened on. He wished he could see!

"You need to move the Yondaime's son. He knows where he is. I saw him scout the area just before I got here. I've come to take him to a safer location," Gaara told them in a commanding tone.

The Iwa nins looked confusingly at each other, but didn't want to question the Kazekage's son, since he was here on orders.

"Get the brat and follow me," Gaara continued in the same tone.

_Brat? Who's he calling a brat? _Naruto thought angrily. _Whose side is he on, anyway? _Before the blonde had time to really think about that, he felt himself being lifted and carried off. He tried to yell through the gag, but it was muffled.

Gaara led them away from the main camp and far enough away from the battle, so that no one would be able to hear them or interfere. He stopped. "This is far enough," he said, looking at them coldly.

Naruto felt himself being put down, roughly. The next thing he heard was screaming, and Gaara calling out what sounded like jutsus? What the hell was going on? The next minute it was silent. Suddenly, Naruto felt someone undoing his gag, next, he was untied, and lastly, his blindfold was removed. He squinted, his eyes not used to the light. When they were able to focus, he saw a red mop of hair, and blue-greens eyes regarding him impassively.

"G-Gaara?" the blonde asked incredulously. "What are you doing here?"

"No time to explain. I brought some water and food to replenish you. Stay put, and don't leave this area. I have some unfinished business to attend to," the red-head told him.

"Wait, what things?" Naruto started to ask, but Gaara disappeared in a swirl of sand. "Kuso. What the hell is going on? Where is Tou-san?" He looked at the food and water, and his stomach giving a loud growl, he dove in eagerly.

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Minato, meanwhile wasn't getting anywhere with the negotiations, as he expected. Gaara should have had enough time by now to rescue Naruto and get him to safety. There was no way of knowing for sure, but time was running out.

"I'm really not interesting in dealing, Hokage-sama. Just give me the money, and you'll get your precious son back," Shoeken told him firmly.

"I want to see my son first, make sure he's alright," Minato responded, not budging.

Shoeken was about to reply when an Iwa nin appeared next to him and whispered something in his ear. Shoeken looked surprised and…alarmed?

"Gaara-sama is here?" he whispered back, as the other nin explained the situation. _This is not the plan the Kazekage told me about, _he thought nervously, as he and other nin continued to talk.

Minato watched the exchange with narrowed eyes.

The Iwa nin finally left and Shoeken turned back to the blonde Hokage. "Seems there's been a change in plans," he told the blonde.

"Is that so? Maybe you wouldn't mind telling me why you kidnapped my son in the first place!" Minato growled out.

"Sorry, that's classified information. Now, either give me the money right now, or I give the order to have your son killed," Shoeken told him.

Suddenly, a ruckus stirred from the group of Iwa nins who surrounded Shoeken, when they saw non other than Gaara himself appeared in their midst.

Minato looked at him impassively, but inside he was anxious. _Didn't he rescue Naruto? Where is he? Why is Gaara here?_

Shoeken himself looked shaken by this development.

"I'm merely here to make sure nothing goes wrong," the red-head explained calmly.

"Hn, whatever. I'm about to get the money," Shoeken answered dismissively. He idly wondered why the Kazekage would send his son to, 'check up on them.'

Abruptly, a strange gust of wind and sand started to form, and Minato realized Gaara's intentions. He turned his eyes from the red-head and looked back at Shoeken.

"So, you won't let me see my son first, eh?" Minato asked rhetorically. "Then you leave me no choice. I will not give you the ransom, nor the satisfaction of Konoha bending to your whims," he stated coldly.

Shoeken eyed the Yondaime carefully. Then raising his right hand, preparing to give the signal to have Naruto killed, he answered, "Tch. You disappoint me, Hokage-sama. I'm surprised that you would play with your only son's life in such a haphazard way."

Swiftly, Minato disappeared; leaving a confused Shoeken and his men, alone in the field, save Gaara. Just as quickly, in blur of yellow, Shoeken's arm was dismembered from his body. The landscape erupted with his screams of agony, as he glared up at the blonde Hokage.

"Who says I'm gambling my son's life?" Minato hissed in his ear. In that moment, Shoeken knew he would never get the ransom. With quick slash of his kunai, Shoeken was now dead at Minato's feet.

Seeing their leader dead, the rest of the Iwa nins decided it was time to act. "Attack!" they shouted.

The sand and wind had grown stronger, and was almost turning into a sandstorm, making it hard to anyone to see much. But Minato knew he didn't need to see. He knew exactly where every enemy was.

He approached the first Iwa nin before him. Seeing Minato there, the nin swings a futile attack, but the sand as a handicap was no match for Minato. Crouching, the blonde sighs, the battle and lose of lives is so unnecessary, but it could not be helped. He dispatched the nin all to easily. He moved on to the next one.

Gaara was watching the battle and seeing the Iws nins were entirely focused on Minato right now. Moving easily in the midst of the sand storm, he suddenly appeared next to an unsuspecting nin. Amidst the swirling sand, the Iwa group heard a terror filled scream, as Gaara broke the man's neck. As the wind and thrashing of the sand fills the Iwa's nins ears once more, and terror fills them. Gaara threw some of his sand shuriken at the next two nins, dispatching them instantly, before they knew what hit them.

Minato meanwhile, sensed the marked enemies and using his _Hiraishin no Jutsu_ **(2),** rushed them, dispensing each one quickly. After taking out the fourth nin, the older blonde searched around for his next enemy, but only found Gaara.

"Naruto is safe. I had him moved to a different location and told him to stay there," he told the Yondaime, who looked visibly relieved at this.

The sand storm that Gaara was using started to slowly stop, revealing Minato and Gaara together. The remaining Iwa nin were furious at Gaara's betrayal.

"You'll pay for this," one of them shouted at him.

Gaara then spotted a large wall of sand, solidified by the Iwa nin. Their ability to manipulate solid surfaces was starting to become troublesome for the red-head. Now that the four-man cell was protected, they began to form some handseals. Next, a group of four more Iwa nins pull together in front of the other nins, to protect them.

Each Nin pulled large chunks of earth, which appeared soft and palatable. Then they shaped it in various large oval objects and in an instant they hardened.

Minato and Gaara approached with caution as they moved in towards their enemies. The said enemies launched a large assortment of rocks at them, which they were forced to dodge, leaving them on the defensive. Held at bay, Minato and Gaara watched as the four nins who performed the handseals, transformed the solid objects into large boulders like bodies. Finalizing their Ninjutsu, they finished their Stone Clones; the oversized clones approached the pair.

Minato, using his speed, rushed the first clone, but was unable to stop its advance. Gaara tried his sand throw, but couldn't lift one of the large stone bodies.

Minato jumped back to access the situation, but Gaara was weighted down by sand and had no such luck.

The red-head put up his sand shield to take the full blow of the stone monster, with a huge crash, the shield shattered, breaking a small hole his defense was weakening.

Minato sighed; this wasn't going to be as easy as he thought.

Gaara then used his sand to dislodge the clone's footing, knocking it aside and using his Sand Binding Coffin, to surround the beast with sand. Then he called out, "Sand Waterfall Funeral!" This technique was normally deadly, but it had no effect on the stone clone. Unphased by Gaara's attack, the beast grabbed Gaara, and threw him across the field, causing him to skid 10 feet away.

_Time to come up with a new plan,_ Minato thought. Dashing forward, he took out one of the Iwa nin who created a stone Clone, making one of them fall apart. The group protecting the other group, who were controlling the clones, missed Minato's initial attack. They sent a barrage of stones at Minato, who rapidly jumped back and away from them. _It's too risky to be that close to them,_ he thought with a frown.

Gaara meanwhile, having recovered from being thrown, was now backed into a wall of rock by two clones. Feeling desperate, the red-head partially transformed into Shukaku**,(3)** by layering sand on his body, making him many times more powerful than he already was, and crushed the clone with his new, stronger arms. He knew he'd have to be careful, as arousing the demon within, caused his personality to grow more dominant during this transformation, increasing his homicidal tendencies.

Minato watched as Gaara transformed into some kind of beast before his eyes. _What the hell is he?_ He wondered as he saw the red-head crush a clone with his hands. Getting a new idea to defeat the clones, Minato started drawing the attention of one rock clone, making it come after him, while staying well out of its range. The older blonde smiled, as the stone clone charged straight at him. Disappearing, he reappeared in the line of the last stone clone, while the other one, was still on it's collision course, too much weight to stop. Although he got slightly trampled, Minato swung aside, leaving the two large masses to collide and then crumble to pieces.

Gaara, who was slowly returning back to normal, used his sand shield just in time to block the collision and crumbling stones around him.

Seeing their clones defeated, the remaining Iwa nin were now defenseless. Minato rushed forward, as one nin tried to kick the blonde, who performed a roundhouse kick. The nin dodged it, and swooping low, pulled a large pile of hard earth as if it was mud. Forming it into a large club, he swung it at Minato, as it hardened instantly.

Using his speed, Minato avoided the attack by using a back handspring followed by a backflip. The Iwa nin pressing his advantage followed him preparing to strike again with the same technique. Minato landed about 15 feet from where he started, but the distance was already cut in half by his enemy. Seeing his opening, the blonde dashed at his enemy, deflecting his weapon and slashing his throat.

Gaara, meantime, was still lusting for blood, even though Shukaku was suppressed, the damage was done. With a loud shout, two large sand arms reached out from his sand gourd, and grabbed the last of the four-man squad. Unable to flee, they screamed to be released, utterly terrified. But it was too late for that.

The red-head crushed them all instantly, as their blood mixed with his sand, leaving dark stains all over the barren landscape.

Minato, cleaned off his kunai and replaced it, and started walking towards the four remaining nin. Rising from a spray of sand and blood, Gaara emerged beside the blonde Hokage.

The Iwa nins realized that they were no match for the pair, suddenly declared their intent to kill Naruto and disappeared.

Minato turned to Gaara. "We need to get to Naruto before they do. Take me to him!"

"Follow me," he told the blonde, as they moved as fast as they could.

While they were heading to the place Naruto was hidden, Minato thought back to Gaara's transformation during the battle against the Iwa nins. It was apparent that there was much more to the Kazekage's son than met the eye. Just based off of what he had seen of the red-haired teen so far, he would say that Gaara was very similar to Naruto. Taking a risk, the Hokage decided to ask the red-head about it.

"Gaara-san, back when we were fighting, I saw you…transform…what was that?" Minato asked him.

Gaara sighed. He didn't see any reason not to give the Hokage an honest answer. "I have a demon called Shukaku sealed inside of me. My father ordered it. His goal is to use me as a weapon," he went on emotionlessly. "It gives me special powers, however, there are serious drawbacks as well," he finished, not looking at Minato.

"I'm sorry," was all the blonde Hokage could think to say, but it confirmed his beliefs about his son and Gaara. "However, you should know that you're not alone," he told the teen, who finally looked at him quizzically.

"What do you mean?"

"Let me tell you a little bit about Naruto," he told him with a grin.

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Naruto meanwhile, had gotten his fill of the food and drink. He was getting really bored just sitting there doing nothing. He was wondering what had become of Gaara, and if his Tou-san was here. Deciding he was fed up with waiting, the young blonde left the area to look around. He didn't get far before he found himself suddenly surrounded by four Iwa nin.

"You're not going anywhere, kid," one of them said.

"What's going on? Why am I not being released?" Naruto demanded to know.

"The deal's gone bad. So we have to kill you now," the nin answered coldly.

"The hell I'm going to let that happen," the blonde retorted, as he prepared to attack.

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When Gaara arrived at the place where he left Naruto, he was nowhere to be found. All that was left was the water skins. Minato turned to Gaara.

"Well, where is he?" he demanded.

"He must have left," Gaara answered simply, wondering why the younger blonde would do such a stupid thing.

_Naruto! If you survive this, I'm going to kill you!_ Minato thought, as they began to search the area for his son.

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Naruto took some kunai and threw at one of the nins, who avoided it easily.

"Is that all you've got?" the nin taunted Naruto. "I expected a bit more from the Yondaime's son," he laughed.

"Don't underestimate me," Naruto growled in response. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" he shouted, making about ten clones. The Iwa nins were able to dispatch them fairly easily with earth style jutsus, or so they thought.

Then, using handseals, one nin placed his hands on the ground, causing Naruto to start sinking into the ground he was standing on.

_What the hell?_ He thought as he was now sunk down to his waist.

The Iwa nin pulled up a large ball of mud and started to roll it towards Naruto, as he continued to sink. "Let's see what the Hokage would think of stone tomb for his son."

As the boulder of mud, came hurdling towards Naruto, who was now sunk down to his shoulders, the nin laughed, thinking it was over for the brat.

"Think you'd beat me that easily?" a voice was heard from right behind the nin. Two clones of Naruto both kicking at the same time, knocked the surprised nin so hard across the landscape, that he bounced and skidded a couple of times until he hit the far wall, and fell unconscious. Rubbing his nose, he taunted, "Who's next?" with a smirk plastered on his face.

The three remaining nins ganged up on Naruto and were closing in on him, while the young blonde quickly formed more clones to defend himself. Three against one was most unfair.

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Minato and Gaara stopped suddenly. They heard screams and loud noises. It had to be Naruto! They rushed towards the sound, and found that Naruto was desperately trying to fight off the three nins who surrounded his son, he was certainly doing his best to hold them off, but it was clear that Naruto was losing the battle, which wasn't surprising, since he hadn't fully had time to completely recover from his ordeal and all.

"Naruto!" Minato shouted as Gaara disappeared and reappeared by Naruto covering them both with his shield of sand, protecting them both. The blonde was shocked and horrified by the stench of blood inside the sand barrier.

"Um…thanks…but let me out of here," the blonde told the red-head with his nose scrunched up. Gaara complied, dropping the shield, revealing the last three nins, who began to flee at the sight of Minato.

The older blonde pulled out three of his specially made kunai, and threw them at the enemy, marking them. "I'll be right back," he told the pair of teens. Disappearing, three separate screams were heard echoing off the canyon walls.

When Minato got back he came over to his son and embraced him fiercely. "Are you hurt?" he asked with a concerned look on his face.

The younger blonde blushed fiercely at being hugged by his father in front of Gaara. "No, I'm fine now," the younger blonde assured his worried father. He looked over at Gaara who was watching them out of the corner of his eye, his arms folded across his chest.

"Gaara, thanks. Thanks for coming after me," the blonde told the red-head sincerely, who merely nodded at the blonde in response.

"But, why did you do it? Why did you help me?" the blonde asked curiously, as Minato put an arm around his son, facing Gaara.

"I had personal reasons," he told the blonde flatly. He paused for a moment before going on. "You are like me, Namikaze Naruto," he added, quietly.

"Like you? What do you mean?" the blonde asked curiously.

Looking at Minato, who nodded his head, Gaara went on. "I carry a monster within me…just like you," he said, trailing off towards the end, even though his voice was cold and without any emotions.

Naruto looked wide-eyed at Gaara. "You know about Kyuubi?" he asked.

Gaara nodded. "I told him about it Naruto, because I saw him transform, and I asked him about it," Minato put in.

Naruto nodded slowly in his understanding. "So, we're not alone…" he answered quietly, looking at Gaara in a whole new light.

"That's right. I never knew there was another Jinchuuriki like myself out there either. The Kazekage sealed the one-tailed beast, Shukaku, into me before I was born," the red-head explained. "He only wants to use me as a weapon," he added resent clear in his tone.

"I'm sorry. My father is different," Naruto answered, as his father's grip tightened just a little bit. "He didn't seal Kyuubi into me to use me as a weapon. He did it because he knew I could use the power, and he only sealed half the chakra into me for my protection," Naruto explained with a sincere smile.

"You're lucky to have such a father, Namikaze Naruto," the red-head replied, and looked up to meet the other boy's eyes.

"You can choose your own destiny, you know," the blonde told him with that grin again. "You don't have to be a weapon."

"I don't know what else to be," Gaara answered, turning his head away from the blonde.

"You can learn," Naruto answered with a grin. "My dream is to become the Hokage, even better than my Tou-san!" he boasted and slammed a fist into his chest. Minato chucked at that.

Gaara's eyes widened a bit at this. "Why would you want to become the Hokage?"

"Because, I want to protect my precious people," he answered, as if it was obvious.

"Naruto, I'm sorry to interrupt, but we should be going now," Minato told his son as he looked at the red-head, feeling calmer now that his son knew about Gaara being a Jinchuuriki. Perhaps it will be good for both of them to know they are not alone in the world as Jinchuuriki's, especially for Gaara. "Thank you for all your help, Gaara-san; we owe you one," he told the teen.

Gaara regarded the Yondaime for a moment before speaking. "I have a request of you, Hokage-sama," he said.

"What's that?" Minato answered with a raised brow.

"I would like you to re-consider the treaty with our country. We are undergoing tough economic times, as you know. The Kazekage's actions were…foolish. I would ask you not to judge our country based on that. There are a lot of good people in Suna," he finished.

"I'll give it some thought then," Minato answered the red-headed teen, who bowed his head slightly in response. "You'll be all right going back on your own?" The red-head nodded slowly. "Okay then."

"Think about what I said, okay?" the younger of the two blondes told the red-head, who nodded slightly. Holding out his hand towards Gaara, the red-head took it slowly. "Ja ne!"

Gaara watched father and son jump up the hills and into the trees, watching them until they disappeared. "Namikaze Naruto, eh?" He would not soon forget that name.

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**TBC**

**1**. From _Kakashi Gaiden Chronicles_ in the manga

**2. **_Hiraishin no Jutsu_- Minato's Flying Thunder god technique

**3. **_Shukaku_- one tailed bijuu, sealed inside Gaara

**AN: I hope this turned out okay. My husband basically wrote this whole chapter. He's really good with the fighting. I just merely put it all together. So thank you my number one fan! You're awesome!**


	10. Chapter 10

**My Way of the Ninja**

**Chapter 10

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**Beta: MrsHellman**

**Disclaimer: Naruto no own jutsu!

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**Warnings: Spoilers for manga! So don't read this chapter if you don't want to be spoiled!

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Three days later, Minato and Naruto got back to Konoha. The younger blonde had never been so glad to see his home! After experiencing such an adventure involving those Iwa nins, he was pretty shaken, and of course, he had talked very animatedly to his father all about his kidnapping experience and his time spent with Gaara. It was nice to know that the blonde teen wasn't alone in being a Jinchuuriki. He hadn't known there were others out there like him, and Naruto hoped the red-head would think about what he told him when they left.

When they arrived back at the house, father and son were exhausted, but the older blonde had to go to office and talk to Kakashi among other things. In the back of his mind, he knew he had to talk with Sasuke; and that gave him an idea.

"Naruto?" Minato asked his son as he turned around to face the other blonde.

"What, Tou-san?" said blonde answered with arched brows.

"Why don't you go over to Sasuke's and invite him over to spend the night? I'm sure he would be glad to see you," the older blonde suggested. "I also. . . have some. . . things to tell him," when the younger blonde rose an eye-brow at this, Minato went on. "You can hear it too," he finished.

"Okay," the whiskered teen replied, as he ran out the door and headed to Sasuke's.

Minato headed towards his office, deep in thought.

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Naruto knocked eagerly on Sasuke's door, waiting for the raven to answer. It was late afternoon, and the Uchiha should be home. So after what felt like twenty darn minutes, finally, the door slid open.

"Naruto?" the raven asked, glad and surprised to see his best friend. "You're back from Suna?"

"Yep!" the blonde chirped at him. "Tou-san and I want to invite you over to spend the night with us," the raven raised one dark brow at this. "He said he had something important to discuss with you."

"He does?" Sasuke asked, wondering what the Yondaime would want to discuss with **him.**

"That's what he said, at least. Do you need to ask your parents first?" the blonde teen asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"They're not here. I'm not sure where Otou-sama is, but he left a note, saying that Kaa-san would be away for awhile," the raven replied while biting his lower lip as if he was troubled.

"So, do you want to come over?" Naruto asked, putting one hand on his hip, getting a little impatient just standing there. He hadn't even noticed the tension around the other boy.

"Sure. Let me just pack some stuff," the young Uchiha told him with a small gesture of his hand. "Come in, while you wait," he said, as he ran off to get some stuff.

Naruto took his sandals off and walked in. He had been to Sasuke's house plenty of times before, likewise, so had Sasuke to Naruto's house. The blonde looked around and noticed that the house was so empty with the raven's parents gone. Usually Mikoto would be cooking something, or she would offer the blonde something to eat; Fugaku never said much of anything to him, but you could always feel his presence.

"Okay, I'm ready," Sasuke interrupted the blonde's musings. "Let's go!"

"R-right," Naruto answered, as he put his sandals back on, trying to not look as disturbed as he felt by his thoughts about Sasuke's parents.

"I want to hear all about Suna," the raven told him as they began walking towards the Hokage's mansion.

Naruto re-focused his thoughts back to the present. "That's not all I have to tell you about," the blonde began, as the young Uchiha raised a brow. "Wait until you hear what happened to me!" He told the raven all about his time in Suna, meeting Gaara, and being kidnapped – the raven laughing from time to time because of the blonde's idiocy.

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It was now very late in the evening and Naruto and Sasuke had long since been in bed fast asleep. The raven had been in awe after hearing the blonde's tale about his adventures in Suna and his kidnapping by Iwa nins.

Minato had come back to eat supper with the teens and, put on a good front, trying to be cheerful, until they went to bed.

Now that the Iwagakure crisis was over, the Yondaime's thoughts were focused on one thing – and one thing alone; how best to break the news to the young Uchiha, regarding his parents. Fugaku was dead by suicide, and had murdered his wife, Mikoto. Sasuke hadn't even asked Minato about his parents yet, which made the older blonde suspicious. As a result, the blonde Hokage was wide-awake, sitting in the main living area downstairs, pondering all these things in his mind. He had it in his mind that he would talk to the raven-haired teen first thing in the morning. As he began to think through his options, he suddenly heard a knock at the door, jerking him violently out of his thoughts.

The blonde man got up, frowning, wondering who would call at this time of night? It was already past midnight.

"Hey, long time no see, Minato," a very familiar voice said as the door opened to reveal someone.

Minato was in shock, standing with his mouth hanging open. He was going to start catching flies anytime soon now.

"You going to invite me in, or what?" the voice continued, as if offended.

"Jiraiya-sensei?" Minato finally got out, but his voice was high-pitched and it made the young blonde man swallow. "What are you doing here?" he asked again, and this time his voice didn't betray him.

"I'll tell you, if you let me in," Jiraiya answered dryly.

"Of course, of course, come in," Minato said, grinning with his hand behind his head. "It's just been so long, sensei. I'd never thought I'd see you again."

"I know. I've been keeping very busy," Jiraiya replied as he came in to the house. Removing his shoes, they headed to the main sitting area.

"Do you have any saké?" was the first thing the pervert asked.

"Sensei! Do you really think I keep that stuff in the house?" Minato asked, offended, as Jiraiya gave him a knowing look. "Well. . . um. . . I do have some. I have to keep it hidden from Naruto," he told his former sensei sheepishly, as he went to get some.

"Is it that bad?" he asked from the kitchen where he got the saké and two glasses. "We can't reminisce over old times?" he teased with an arched brow.

"Not this time," Jiraiya stated seriously and it made Minato frown. His former sensei was rarely this serious unless it was important. "I heard about Orochimaru," Jiraiya went on as he looked back at the blonde in front of him. Minato's back was still turned towards the older of the two, so Minato couldn't see the worried expression in Jiraiya's facial features.

"Wow, news travels fast," Minato replied as he came back with the bottle of saké.

"I was keeping tabs on him, as you know, when he left the village, knowing he would probably try to come back here again one day," Jiraiya continued with a saddened expression.

"Well, that problem is solved," Minato answered, with a grin, but then he noticed Jiraiya's frown. "Am I missing something?" he asked, wearing an identical frown as the other man.

"I found out that Orochimaru had joined a certain organization," Jiraiya explained slowly, taking a deep breath after he finished the sentence.

"Organization?" Minato repeated with a frown.

"Hai. I don't know all the details, but it's called Akatsuki, and it consists of eight ninjas. They haven't done anything big yet, only gathering information for some purpose," Jiraiya explained seriously, as Minato just listened intently. "The problem is the members though; most of them are S-rank criminals in the bingo book. It's doubtful that they are just doing volunteer work," he told his former student dryly.

"You know where I'm going with this, Minato," Jiraiya said seriously, looking directly at the tall blonde.

Minato nodded his head, slowly, not wanting to really think what this might mean. "All that was left of Orochimaru was this ring," he said, showing to his former sensei.

Jiraiya looked at it and then gave it back to Minato with a sigh. "They probably all have rings similar to this. Akatsuki just recently spilt into teams of two, and have begun to travel all over the place, collecting techniques and other things," Jiraiya continued.

"D-do you suspect that one of the things they might be after is the Kyuubi inside Naruto?" Minato asked, afraid of what the answer might be.

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes as he raked a hand through his white hair. "It's a very strong possibility. You know as well as I do, that Kyuubi posses the ultimate Chakra," he said gravely.

Minato nodded solemnly as he bent his head a little forwards.

"Minato," he continued seriously, "Naruto is going to have to start watching his back, sooner, rather than later. That's the fate he carries. You sealed the fate in him the day you sealed Kyuubi," he finished.

"I have my reasons for doing that, Sensei," Minato answered quickly – his voice being louder than before – and somewhat defensively.

"I'm sure you do, and I know they are good ones, but I came to tell you this to warn you. Naruto will find out one way or another, but it would be better coming from you," Jiraiya told him, shaking Minato out of thoughts.

"Yeah, you're right. Are you going to be here long?" Minato asked him as he looked up again, meeting the other man's eyes.

"It depends," Jiraiya answered – rather cryptically. "But you'll be able to contact me, when you need me," he finished, leaving Minato feeling rather confused by that statement.

"Ah. . . okay. Well, thank you for coming and telling me," Minato answered as he watched the man stand up, and walk towards the door.

"Of course. Tell Naruto 'hi' for me," Jiraiya said as he took his leave. "Ja ne!"

Minato watched him leave, feeling confusion and apprehension about this new information. He remained deep in thought for a while. Coming to a conclusion, he decided it was time to talk to Uchiha Itachi.

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Uchiha Itachi was sitting in Konoha's prison, which he had been doing for the past five years. How he kept himself from going insane, due to boredom, is beyond anyone's guess.

Both his arms were chained to wall, long enough to allow some movement, but barely. Minato himself had sealed his eyes, upon insistence by the elders, cutting off the flow of Chakra to them, preventing his use of the Sharingan. That had temporarily satisfied them, though they had wanted Itachi's execution, Minato refused it. Itachi had unusually submitted to all of this without protest. When he had been interrogated about the murders he had committed, he had given no answer except that it was 'merely to test his mettle,' which had made no sense to anyone, other than the fact that the older Uchiha was probably insane.

Minato himself had interrogated Itachi privately, shortly after the events that taken place that night, but no one knows what occurred between them. The Yondaime regretted having to keep the Uchiha in prison for so long, but the politics behind it all, made it necessary for the time being, but soon that all was about the change.

The blonde, young Hokage entered the prison and when he reached Itachi's cell, and spoke quietly to the ANBU guards, who nodded and unlocked the door. The older blonde asked them to leave, and not wanting to question their Hokage, obeyed.

Itachi looked up with his now coal, black eyes upon hearing his door open, and appeared mildly surprised by the Yondaime's visit, but Minato knew it was for just for show.

"Hokage-sama," Itachi greeted, his voice being raspy from lack of usage. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked, politely, a small bow of only the head, completing the look.

Performing a couple of quick seals, Minato soundproofed the room. "Itachi-kun. We're safe to speak openly," the tall blonde informed the raven. "I need to speak with you about a matter of great importance—" he began quickly.

The raven raised a brow, as he continued to listen to what the man had to say.

"Fugaku joined forces with Orochimaru and tried to execute a coup d'état," Minato started with a bothered facial expression, it was never easy to tell people about things like this.

Itachi was silent for a moment, and then he said in a smooth, emotionless voice, "I trust you see now, Hokage-sama, that you should have allowed me to complete my mission," he told the blonde Hokage evenly, his face revealing nothing.

"You know how I felt about that mission," Minato retorted, interrupting the raven. "I tried very hard to negotiate a peaceful solution, and the elders overruled me, and I failed. I knew what taking on that mission was doing to you; I saw the signs, it was killing you inside," he defended, but it kind of felt wrong to put it like this. "I guess I really hoped that in the end, you wouldn't go through with it. So when I was told about the killings, that's when I knew it was you. I had to stop you," the older blonde added quietly.

"Was it worth it?" the older Uchiha countered, not confirming or denying Minato's statements about the mission itself that he was given five years ago.

But when the Yondaime didn't answer Itachi went on. "You know how I feel about war and peace. You know how I felt about the clan's petty differences, what they were going to do. They were going to start a civil war," he stated firmly, but without venom, still without meeting Minato's gaze.

"I know, but I strongly disagreed with elders and Danzo about how to deal with the clan. Unfortunately, there was just too much mistrust on both sides," Minato replied sadly. "Maybe it was a mistake, but it's too late now – Orochimaru's dead, Fugaku fled and I sent pursuers, but before we could catch him, he killed himself," he finished seriously and locked his gaze with Itachi.

"He's a coward," the dark-haired shinobi responded emotionlessly. "The ring leader is dead, but the threat may not be over, Hokage-sama," he told Minato turning back to face him as the blonde nodded gravely. "You should watch Danzo carefully," Itachi told him plainly. "He is not to be trusted."

"Hai, I know. I'm going to have him watched by ANBU," Minato told him as he tilted his head to the right, sighing in the process.

"Just be careful who you select. He has his own ANBU, Root," the raven replied quickly, before the Hokage might decide to leave.

The blonde Hokage nodded with a sigh, rubbing his forehead with his hand. Pausing for a moment, Itachi looked Minato in the eye. "You know from what I told you five years ago that I had struck a deal with Uchiha Madara, and those Uchiha who possess the Mangekyou Sharingan have the power to control Kyuubi—?" the blonde nodded, "—besides myself, he is the only other Uchiha to posses the Mangekyou. He's the one who summoned the Kyuubi twelve years ago."

"I suspected as much. Back then, he saw through everything I did, he's no ordinary ninja, for sure," Minato replied, with a thoughtful look on his face, chewing his lower lip. "I just wonder how he can still be alive after all this time," he finished, looking pointedly at Itachi.

"He never told me, but after you stopped me he fled. I'm sure he will try something again, and you need to be prepared," the Uchiha told the blonde Hokage, still emotionless. "I don't trust him at all, and I never did. I only agreed to let him help me to save the village," he said solemnly.

"I understand," Minato answered, feeling the gravity of the situation heavily. He knew from what Itachi told him in the past, that Madara had forced Itachi to kill Shisui, the older Uchiha's best friend in order to obtain the Mangekyou Sharingan.

_Itachi, you went through more than I ever knew, _he thought sadly. "The way Kyuubi's chakra was split, the demon's _yin_ chakra was sealed with the _Shinagami_ and the yang was sealed into Naruto, for him to use. Madara won't be able to summon Kyuubi again at least," the blonde told the Uchiha.

Itachi nodded, then pausing for moment, he asked quietly with slight emotion in his voice, "Is Sasuke still safe?"

Minato re-focused his thoughts to answer the question. "Yes, I've kept my promise to you. He still doesn't know about any of this."

"Good. He doesn't need to. It's best for him," the raven replied evenly.

"Best for him, or best for you, Itachi?" Minato challenged him with an arched brow, dropping the suffix to make a point.

Itachi met Minato's gaze. They stared each other down for what seemed like eternity. "You know my reasons, Hokage-sama," he finally said, not backing down.

"Orochimaru told me that he wanted Sasuke for his Sharingan. He had figured out how to achieve immortality," Minato told the raven as he swallowed hard.

Itachi appeared thoughtful for a moment. "It's good that Orochimaru is no longer a threat. If he had gotten a hold of Sasuke. . ." he didn't need to finish his sentence as both men knew what they would have meant for Sasuke. It would have altered the younger raven's whole life.

Minato refocused on Itachi again. "Itachi-kun, there's more that you need to know." The raven raised a dark brow at this. "Mikoto's been murdered."

Itachi's face was unreadable. "It makes sense – my father would have kept her in the dark, and then disposed of her, since she was a liability for him."

"Yes, but Sasuke has no one now, Itachi. He has to be told what happened to his parents. When he learns it, he'll need someone to turn to. He'll need. . . you," Minato replied seriously, his hesitation being caught by the raven.

The elder Uchiha looked away for a moment. "He thinks I'm a murderer. He would never trust me or believe me," he finally said, almost sadly.

"I have a proposition for you that I want you to consider; just hear me out. I just learned from a very reliable source that a dangerous organization of S-rank criminals, called Akatsuki is moving around, collecting jutsu and other things. I think they may be after Naruto, since he has the Kyuubi. I want you to join this organization; keep an eye on it from the inside and tell me what they're after. I'll unseal your eyes, and get you out of here. I could even have you re-instated," Minato explained for the Uchiha as said man narrowed his eyes.

Itachi had remained silent, digesting this new information; his face was unreadable, as always. "Then that would expose Danzo and the elder's treachery. It's not the right timing for that," he finally replied.

"Even so, I am willing to get you out of here, so you can be useful again," the blonde Hokage insisted.

"You realize that there is great risk involved with what you're proposing?" the raven asked with a raised brow.

"I do. I'm willing to take the risk, for my part, but there's more. I want you to take Sasuke with you," Minato continued seriously, biting on his lower lip again.

Itachi was speechless for a few moments. "Even if I wanted to, he would never willingly go with me," he finally said.

"He will if he hears the truth, from both of us. He's old enough now to understand, Itachi _– he deserves to know_," Minato urged him, and when Itachi didn't answer, the blonde pressed on. "You care for him, like I do for Naruto. You're all he has left now. Think of how his life would turn out, if he doesn't know the truth. It's not the safest for him in the village now either. I've done my best to protect him, but I can't be with him all the time. You really want him to hate you the rest of his life? I understood what you did back then, but things have changed now."

Itachi looked away at the wall, remaining silent and unreadable. "I'll give you time to think it over and I'll come back to you," Minato told the still silent raven, getting up to take his leave. He reached the door and was opening it, when he heard Itachi speaking so quietly; he had to strain to hear him. He only spoke three words, but they held great significance.

"I'll do it."

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**TBC**

**AN: I know it's short, but it was a good place to stop. Minato doesn't drink sake on a regular basis, but he has some around for occasional use. Wow, I can't believe I've written ten chapters! I'm about to write my longest fic ever, though this will be coming to a close soon...writing long fics has never been my forte. Anway, thanks for all the reviews, favs, etc. They've really kept me going! Until next time, enjoy!  
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	11. Chapter 11

**My Way of the Ninja**

**Chapter 11

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**Beta: MrsHellman-Woot!**

**Disclaimer: Do you think you know by now that I don't own Naruto?**

**AN: Another spoiler alert so watch out!**

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Minato had Itachi leave a bunshin in his place in the prison, which the raven could maintain for a certain about of time, but it would be long enough. He then had used _henge_ to transform into a kunai, which Minato carried out with him, thus making their break from the prison.

It was early dawn when they arrived back at Hokage mansion; Sasuke and Naruto weren't up yet, so while waiting, Minato told Itachi to make himself comfortable 'til the boys returned to the world of the living.

"This won't be easy for Sasuke," Itachi warned the Yondaime, as he sat down on the couch.

"I know, but I really do think it will be for the best," Minato paused for minute, thinking about his son. "It will hard for Naruto as well," he told the raven, as he raised a dark brow. "Naruto and your brother have become quite close over the last five years. Not only are they best friends, but they view each other like family, brothers. I doubt that Naruto will stay quiet about it," the older blonde finished, sighing deeply.

"I see," the older Uchiha finally answered after hearing this information. "I never knew they had gotten that close. Before I was imprisoned, Sasuke had mentioned to me about your son, but they weren't that close then. How interesting," Itachi finished thoughtfully.

"Yes, it's been a good thing for both of them. Listen, stay out of sight, for time being. I'm going to inform Sasuke about your parents first, and then I'll bring you in," Minato explained, as Itachi simply nodded.

About three hours later, Minato heard the boys getting up, and making their way downstairs. Itachi had discreetly hidden himself, but was within earshot so he could hear what they were saying. Even though he knew that it was rude to eavesdrop, he wanted to know due to important reason; he wanted to be a good brother.

Minato looked up as he saw the boys come into the kitchen. "Good morning," he greeted them with a cheeky smile.

"Hokage-sama," Sasuke greeted back, as he bowed slightly. "Thanks for letting me stay here last night."

"Don't mention it, Sasuke-kun," Minato waved it off causally with that grin still in place.

"Ohayo, Tou-san," Naruto said with a yawn, not being as polite as the raven, but to be honest; Minato didn't expect more from his son. "Thought you'd be at the office already."

"I took the day off today," Minato answered, his grin dropping to a casual smile. "Have some breakfast. When you're done, we'll talk, like I told you about last night," he told them as they sat down to eat.

Naruto frowned, remembering that his father had mentioned that, but he wondered what it was all about. As the younger blonde studied the older, he could tell that something was really bothering the older blonde and it was perplexing to Naruto.

After breakfast, they remained at the table, and looked expectantly at Minato. The older blonde had been thinking all morning at how best to break the news to Sasuke; no matter how hard he thought about it, it just wasn't going to be easy no matter what. He then noticed the two teens staring expectantly at him.

Minato shook his head and cleared his throat as he raked a hand through his hair – full of knots as usual, he noted. "Sasuke-kun. I was wondering. . .if you have noticed your parents. . . absence," he began, and none of them noticed, but Itachi became more observant.

Sasuke frowned as he heard this, but nodded. "Well, I haven't seen either of them since the Chuunin exams, but when I got back to my house, O-tou-sama left a note, saying that Kaa-san would be gone for while," the raven answered with an arched brow; he knew that there was something going on here, and whatever it was, it didn't make him feel too good.

_Damn! _Minato thought angrily with a frown. _ Of course he would lie about it, but damn it, it makes it so hard! _"That's not entirely true, I'm afraid, Sasuke-kun," he told the teen sadly.

"W-what do you mean?" the raven asked, feeling a lump in his throat form.

"I have to tell you some things that won't be easy for you to hear, but you must. All I ask is that you hear me out, before you say anything, agreed?" the Hokage asked the raven as he bit his lower lip, trying to hide his own nervousness.

"H-hai, Hokage-sama," Sasuke replied, feeling confused and bit nervous. _What the hell is this about?_

Naruto frowned at his father, but stayed quiet as he looked between the two males.

"Sasuke-kun, your parents—" Minato began, as he bit his lip before continuing. "—let me say it this way; your father. . . betrayed the village and was in league with Orochimaru." The older blonde saw Sasuke visibly stiffen and about to protest. "Remember what I said, Sasuke-kun," he reminded him as Sasuke went silent. Naruto looked with concern at his friend.

"That's why he took Naruto away during the battle. He was handing him over to Orochimaru, but more than that; he had his police force capture me, and to my face, told me his plans of betrayal. I do believe that Orochimaru was merely using him, and no doubt would have disposed of your father, if I hadn't defeated him. However, when the battle was over and Orochimaru was dead, your father fled, fearing for his life. I sent pursuers to bring him back alive for questioning – but. . ." Minato trailed off. This was so damn hard! The look on Sasuke's face wasn't making it any easier. "He— h-he killed himself, before we could capture him."

Sasuke wore a look of disbelief mixed with grief as he let the information sink in. "Why?" he asked quietly as pictures of his parents flashed before his eyes, making a burning feeling appear in his eyes and a tightening sensation in his chest.

"It's a long story, which I'll explain to you shortly, but there's more I have to tell you," Minato answered gravely. "We found your mother's body in the river. She was murdered."

The raven's eyes widened, and he paled considerably, Naruto also looked wide-eyed as he heard this information. Itachi, who had heard everything, frowned as he closed his eyes, leaning his head against the wall; he knew that his little brother wouldn't take this very well.

"Your father murdered her, just before the start of the last exam. She was a. . . liability – as you could put it – for him," Minato finished sadly. "Your father made up the note just before he fled, so you wouldn't pursue the matter. I'm so sorry, Sasuke-kun."

"No. . ." Sasuke spoke quietly as the tightness in his chest increased ten fold. He felt numb, but also anger and horror; it was all too much to process. "NO! It can't be!" he yelled suddenly, balling his fists at his sides.

"Listen to me, Sasuke-kun," Minato interrupted quickly, before the boy could so something that would only hurt himself or someone close to him. "I know this isn't easy, but you must hear me out. This wasn't the first time your father planned a coup d'état. He was going to do it five years ago, just before your brother was imprisoned."

"I-I. . . can't believe this, any of this!" Sasuke yelled at Minato and Naruto stared with worry at his friend, not knowing what to say. Should he comfort Sasuke, well— that was something obvious, but the question was how. . .

"It's all true, _otouto,_" a deep voice said in the door frame as both Naruto and Sasuke looked up to see none other than Uchiha Itachi. Shock and disbelief ran across the younger raven's face as he looked at his brother whom he hadn't seen in five years. Naruto, who had never seen the older Uchiha, but knew the events of the past, also looked shocked.

"What the hell is _he_ doing here?" Sasuke asked in a dangerous voice, pointing at Itachi with a finger; barely able to retain his rage as he glared at the elder Uchiha.

Minato sighed as he took a look at Sasuke's facial features. "Sasuke-kun, it's a very long story. I believe it's high time you hear all of it, but I think it's best if you hear it from your brother. And. . . don't judge him too harshly. You have no idea what he's been through. Just –please – hear him out," he pleaded with the younger raven that was looking at his brother coldly.

"Fine," Sasuke answered, tersely, his voice nearly breaking. "So, talk."

Itachi came over to the table and sat down. Naruto eyed him warily, but wishing to support Sasuke, gave Itachi his attention as well. Itachi began to tell his long, complicated and painful story of what really happened five years ago. . . It was painful for Sasuke, but at the same time as it was a relief to hear what the man had to say. As he listened to his older brother talk, he felt the truth of his words. He learned that Itachi was put in a terrible position with a horrendous decision to make. Politics could really be ugly. The younger Uchiha realized that he didn't really know his brother as well as he thought he did.

When Itachi had finished, Sasuke was silent for quite some time, making everyone in the room feel tense with anticipation of his reaction. Naruto was shocked himself as well; the politics behind all of this! Unbelievable!

"So that's it. That's what it all came down to," Sasuke finally spoke, very quietly and Itachi nodded. "So, what will happen now?" he asked, looking at Itachi and then Minato.

"Itachi and myself have come up with a plan," Minato started to explain as he coughed to clear his throat, a fist in front of his mouth due to politeness. "Danzo and elders can't be trusted and since you now know what they plotted, you also know that you're in danger as long as you remain here," he continued. Naruto looked at him questioningly. What was he saying?

"Now that you know Itachi's part in all of this, you can trust him. He's all you have left, Sasuke-kun. Itachi is going to spy for me on a certain criminal organization, called Akatsuki." He paused here for a moment before going on. "I want you to go with him."

Sasuke gasped in surprise as he heard that leave his best friend's father's lips. "Leave Konoha?" Naruto looked at Minato like he was crazy. For Sasuke to leave Konoha, what would the blonde do then? They were best friends, more like brothers really.

"Yes. No one will know who you are leaving with. They will only be told that you are on an extended leave of the village. No one will question me," Minato explained as he gulped, feeling Naruto's scared eyes on him even though he wasn't looking at his son. "Itachi will join up with this organization and pass information on to me about what they are doing. Sasuke-kun, you are not to join them. Itachi will make arrangements to keep you with him. They will not refuse him." Sasuke looked as confused as Naruto did, but they listened on. "Itachi will train you, make you stronger, and then, when the time is right, we will strike against our enemies."

Sasuke swallowed hard as he let even more information sink in, this was more than simply harsh on him – this wasn't going to be easy. Hell, none of it was, nor did it really make sense. But Minato was putting a lot of line for this plan, as was Itachi, and they seemed so confident.

"Will you agree to do this, Sasuke-kun?" Minato asked Sasuke as Itachi looked at the smaller raven intently.

The raven's face was down, hiding his eyes, and therefore his emotions. He was silent for a few minutes, but it seemed like hours. When he finally looked up, his expression unreadable; he answered their question, and both Itachi and Minato could hear the hesitation. "I-I'll do it. If for no other reason than to make restitution," he finished as he looked at Itachi.

"Excellent. You will have to leave as soon as possible and—"

Minato continued his explanation, but Naruto drowned it out; Sasuke – his best friend, his sparring partner, the person he trusted just as much as his own father, the person he considered family, his brother. . . – would have to leave the village? For how long? What was Akatsuki and why did his father seem so concerned about them? There was something he wasn't telling him, the younger blonde knew, and sure as hell, he was going to find out.

"—make all the arrangements," Minato was saying.

"Very well," Sasuke answered reluctantly as he took a look at the younger of the two blonde's and noticed that he was staring off in space. "Just... give me some time to pack up." It was a lame excuse as he really had no stuff here to pack up, but he just needed to leave. He stood up, and giving Naruto a quick glance, headed upstairs.

Minato nodded and looked over at Naruto, who was in a daze. "Naruto, are you okay?" he asked with concern on his face, hunching down to meet his son, who was sitting on a chair.

Naruto focused on Minato, his vision was glazed over with disbelief, but also with unshed tears, and that made Minato's heart skip a beat. "No, I'm not okay, Tou-san!" he shouted angrily, his voice breaking. Itachi inwardly winced at this, but didn't show any outward emotion. There was nothing he could do or say. "I'm about to lose my best friend, his father was a traitor to Konoha, his mother was murdered, how do _you_ think _I_ feel!?" With that, he stormed out of the kitchen and up the stairs to find Sasuke. Minato looked worriedly after him.

Itachi spoke up at this point. "Hokage-sama," Minato looked over at him, his face showing nothing but hurt. "There's something else I need to tell you. You now know the true secrets of our clan. You also know how I got the Mangekyou Sharingan. Not only does it have the price of killing the person closest to you in order to obtain it, but it has a weakness."

Minato raised a brow as he heard this and stood up again, his knees making some popping noises in the process. "If you're referring to losing your sight, then I already know," the blonde Hokage answered. When Itachi looked at him quizzically, he went on. "Kakashi told me."

"Ah, I see. . . then you know what will happen to me, if I use the Mangekyou, which I will once I join Akatsuki," the dark-haired teen answered. "My sight has already started to be affected, even though I haven't used it in five years."

Minato sighed and raked a hand through his blonde, messy – and let us not forget it's full of knots – hair. "There's someone I know, one of the best medical nin, her name is Tsunade, who could possibly heal your eyes," he told the raven.

Itachi looked at Minato with surprise at this. "You need to be at your best," Minato answered the unspoken question, a small smile playing on his lips. "I know that Madara forced you to kill your best friend to obtain the Mangekyou Sharingan. It will certainly come in handy for you with Akatsuki. However, it will take some time to find her, since I don't know exactly where she is at. . ." he trailed off thinking, as he rubbed his chin. He closed his eyes, a frown appearing between his brows, making Itachi sigh.

"And Sasuke and I need to leave as soon as possible," the dark-haired teen pointed out, interrupting the silence that had occurred.

"I know. . . but you could hide out here until she's found and brought back to Konoha. I'll take care of everything," Minato told him seriously as Itachi nodded again.

"You know there'll be hell to pay when they can't find me," the raven reminded him quietly, his facial expression reminding Minato so much of Fugaku.

"I'll deal with it," the blonde answered, closing his eyes briefly and rubbing the bridge of his nose, trying to get rid of the image of Fugaku. "How long can you maintain the bunshin?" he asked, opening his eyes again.

"Since I'm not using any more chakra than that, about a week," Itachi answered making the blonde sigh as he nodded.

"Very well. I'll find her by that time. Meanwhile, keep Sasuke and yourself here. It will be the safest place for now," Minato told him as Itachi blinked in response. "I'll unseal your eyes when Tsunade comes, okay?"

Minato got up from the table as he cast a worried glance upstairs where his son was. He wanted to talk to Naruto right now, but he'd have to deal with this matter of finding Tsuande first. Sometimes he hated being Hokage, having such a high post, as well as a burden on your shoulders.

"Hokage-sama?" Itachi spoke quietly, stopping when the blonde did.

"Yes?" Minato turned back to look at him.

"Arigatou," he said, sincerely, looking directly at Minato.

Minato smiled genuinely back at him. "You're welcome."

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Naruto had found Sasuke upstairs in the guest room. The said raven was sitting on the edge of the bed and his face was downcast, making it impossible for Naruto to see his face. The said blonde had been standing in the doorway, as he had been afraid to go in, since he heard his friend crying. It was awkward for Naruto, because Sasuke never cried; the last time he had seen him cry was when Itachi had committed those murders and been imprisoned. So the blonde teen knew that his friend was really hurting. Not that Naruto could blame Sasuke at all for crying; all of what had been told to him about his family was extremely difficult to deal with.

Naruto was very concerned for him, why shouldn't he be, really? Then there was the issue of Sasuke leaving the village. Naruto and Sasuke had been best friends since the academy days, so they were as close as brothers, and now, the raven would be leaving, and who knew for how long? All these thoughts were racing through Naruto's head as he stared at Sasuke, who was crying quietly on the bed. Finally, the blonde decided to break the silence that seemed to stretch on for eternity.

"Sasuke?" Naruto called quietly as he looked down to the floor, not daring to meet his friend's face. The raven jumped slightly and hastily wiped his eyes, not wanting his tears to be shown. "May I come in?" he asked respectfully, not moving an inch until he got Sasuke's approval.

"S-sure," the raven-haired teen answered, failing to keep his voice from trembling, and cursing himself for sounding so weak. It wasn't like him to react like this, but trying to process all this crap he had been loaded with was hard, and he was still in a state of shock.

Naruto walked over and sat down next to his friend on the bed, said bed moving up and down due to the pressure Naruto's body put on the mattress. Sasuke couldn't meet his gaze, he didn't dare to, and he guessed that Naruto felt the same.

"Hey, Sasuke. . . I know this is a dumb question, but how you dealing with all this?" the blonde asked with concern clear in his voice, a smile trying to grace his lips, but it looked painful rather than full of happiness as smiles should.

Sasuke laughed, bitterly as he heard that question. Naruto was right; it was a dumb thing to ask. "As well as one could expect in these circumstances, _baka_." He was secretly glad that Naruto didn't say anything about him crying – sometimes the _dobe _could be pretty perceptive.

Naruto smiled for real this time, hearing that nickname indicated to the young blonde that Sasuke was acting more like himself. "How do you feel about – you know – leaving with your brother and all?" the blonde asked cautiously, not wanting to ask the wrong questions and make things worse, it was the last thing he wanted to happen.

Sasuke looked pensive for a minute, still not meeting the blue-eyed boy's eyes, but at least his face wasn't as downcast anymore. "It's weird, I guess. . . but after hearing his story, I realize that there's so much more about him that I really didn't know. I only thought he was a crazy cold-blooded murderer. Going with him will give me the chance to get to know the real him." The raven paused a moment before going on; biting his lips during the pause, choosing the right words to use. "I know it going to be dangerous too, hanging out with a criminal organization, spying on them." Naruto nodded in understanding as he heard this. "However," the raven smirked at the thought, "—I am excited about being trained by him. It's something I always used to bug Itachi about when we were younger. He hardly ever had the time…" he smiled ruefully. "But now…I'll get to become stronger with him training me. It's like a dream come true in many ways," he closed his eyes breifly and then opened them to look at Naruto, that famous smirk in place. "You'll have to watch out, _usuratonkachi_," he said, giving the blonde his affectionate nickname. "If you're not stronger when I come back, I'll kick your ass!"

Naruto returned the smirk, but it wasn't much of a smirk, because it soon turned into a grin that nearly split his face in two, and it made Sasuke smile as well. "Well, I don't plan on just slacking off while you're gone _teme_," he answered smugly. "So we'll just see who will be kicking ass." Inwardly though, Naruto knew Sasuke was right; he would have to train harder to keep up with the raven once he left.

"Will— you know, have to go back. . . to the compound, I mean, to get your stuff?" Naruto asked the raven hesitantly, knowing the subject was a sensitive one. His stuttering showing his uncertainty, but at the same time it was quite full of sadness, and it made him bite his own tongue; he wanted to stay strong for Sasuke.

The said raven looked down as he heard this – it was something he feared actually. "Yeah, I guess I will," he answered sadly.

"Sasuke, I-I'm really sorry about your parents," the blonde offered sincerely a frown between his brows indicating his true worry and it made Sasuke feel grateful to have the blonde for a friend.

"Thanks," he answered and then he paused for a minute. "I guess. . . we. . . don't have much time left. . . before I have to leave," he said awkwardly, the words forming a strange sentence, but Naruto knew its implication.

"Yeah," the blonde teen answered, feeling his eyes burning. He will not cry in front of Sasuke, damn it! The blonde realized that there was one thing that he really wanted to tell Sasuke before he left – he owed it to him, really.

"Sasuke. . .?" he began quietly, his insecurity showing dramatically and it made Sasuke frown; Naruto never shows such feelings if wasn't out of extreme importance.

He eyed the blonde who was looking rather nervous. "What is it, Naruto?" he asked as he titled his head slightly to the side due to confusion.

"T-there's something. . . er. . . that I want to tell you. S-something I've never told anyone, but I want to tell you. . . before you leave," Naruto finished, inwardly cursing for stuttering so much as Sasuke raised a brow at the blonde.

"After I tell you this, y-you may not. . . want to be friends with me anymore, and I wouldn't blame you, really," Naruto continued, looking away from Sasuke for a minute.

This statement surprised Sasuke greatly, and it also made his heart clench painfully; what could Naruto possibly tell him that would cause them not to be friends? "Naruto, there's nothing you could tell me that would make me stop being your friend," he insisted with a small smile that was hardly visible, but it didn't encourage the blonde who simply sighed, biting his lower lip.

"Just wait until you hear what I have to say, first, Sasuke," the blonde answered seriously, swallowing some saliva as he tried to get the lump that just formed out of his throat.

Sasuke saw how serious Naruto was being; it was so unlike the blonde, he wasn't sure what to do, so he just nodded.

"You know the story of how the Sandaime saved the village from the demon fox, Kyuubi, twelve years ago?" Naruto asked Sasuke, looking at him again, his voice trembling as he said the sentence.

"Yeah," the raven-haired teen answered, not sure what the blonde was getting at. He'd heard about the Kyuubi, but Sandaime and Yondaime – Naruto's dad – had done something and the gigantic fox had disappeared and never come back to the village.

"Do you know _how_ he did it, Sasuke?" Naruto asked again, making the raven frown.

"No. . . honestly I don't," the other teen answered, still not seeing where this was going.

Naruto took a deep breath, and then continued, his voice trembling just as much, and Sasuke could see that the blonde's blue eyes were lustrous due to unshed tears. It made the raven swallow painfully; the blonde was trying so hard not to cry. "I was just born when the Kyuubi attacked. Tou-san thought the only way to save the village was to perform a forbidden jutsu, called _Shiki Fuujin._ **(1) **It would have cost him his life," he paused here and swallowed again, inhaling a shaky breath.

Sasuke eyes widened as he heard this; he could finally understand at least partially, why Naruto was so nervous about telling him this, but he didn't dare to say anything, but after what felt like an eternity and a half, he inhaled and opened his mouth, "Y-you mean your father would have died to save the village?" he asked as Naruto nodded solemnly. "B-but then. . . you would have—"

"—grown up an orphan," blonde finished for him, looking up at the ceiling for a brief moment so that his tears wouldn't fall. "Yeah, my life would have turned out much differently, but as you know, he's still alive. . ." the blonde's voice was so soft it hurt Sasuke to hear him talk about this.

"So, what happened?" the raven asked, his interest piqued, but at same time he could tell this was really hard for the blonde.

Naruto took a deep breathe he looked away from the ceiling and down to the floor instead, not wanting to meet the raven's eyes, he'd knew that he would cry if he did. He wasn't going to let _that_ happen. "The Sandaime also knew the technique and didn't want my father to die. So he volunteered to do it for him. At first, my father didn't want to accept, but Sandaime was very. . . insistent. My father then told him that he wanted to s-seal Kyuubi into to someone. . . t-that someone was me. . . S-Sasuke," Naruto finished, finally looking Sasuke in the eye. "I'm the Kyuubi no Y-Yoko. . ." the blonde couldn't hold the tears anymore, as he close his eyes and let them fall, turning away from Sasuke so that his back was facing the raven.

The said raven didn't speak for a moment as he tried to comprehend what he'd just heard. Talk about information overload! First his family and now this! If anyone else said one more bad thing to him, the raven felt he would explode! But okay, getting back to the present. He couldn't believe that his best friend had a demon fox sealed inside of him! Unreal!

"I understand if y-you don't want to be my f-friend anymore," the blonde teen went on oblivious to his friend's raging thoughts. Sasuke turned his head too fast towards the blonde that he could hear something snap. Finally, he saw that the blonde had turned away from him and that his shoulders were shaking. "After all, K-Kyuubi was responsible for so many l-lives that were lost, and now it's inside me. . . Tou-san has kept this k-knowledge from most in the village, fearing they wouldn't und-understand, even though I'm the Yondaime's son. . . O-Only a few select people know which now includes y-you. I only found out myself about two years ago. . ." the blonde went silent here, not sure of the raven's feelings at all. The only thing that could be heard was the heaves coming from Naruto, which Sasuke knew were sobs.

It took the raven a couple of minutes to process what his blonde friend was saying to him. He shook his head and re-focused on the blonde next to him. "Naruto, listen to me; you are _not_ the Kyuubi. Having it inside you doesn't make you the Kyuubi. You had no choice in the matter. It doesn't change at all, how I feel about our friendship," he told the blonde firmly as he looked at the blonde's shoulders that were trembling so much that Sasuke tentatively lifted a hand and placed it on his friend's trembling shoulder.

Naruto flinched slightly, but turned around to meet Sasuke's gaze for the first time in awhile, and the raven winced as he saw how puffy Naruto's eyes were. "Really? I was so afraid to tell you, b-before. . . because I thought you wouldn't l-like me anymore. . ."

Sasuke shook his head as he heard this and moved over to the blonde. "I understand why you would be afraid, Naruto, but having Kyuubi inside of you doesn't define who you are." He pulled his friend into a hug, but Naruto didn't return it quite yet, he was still unsure if his friend had truly had accepted this.

But Naruto smiled a little, that's something he knew how to do, even in the toughest situations. "Thanks for understanding, Sasuke. . ." He used his right sleeve to dry away the tears and then he returned Sasuke's hug, feeling the warmth radiating from the raven made him feel so happy; he knew this wasn't a dream – the raven had really accepted it.

The said raven smiled back at him. "Of course, that's what real friends do, _baka. _You should have told me much sooner," he chided with his smile widening as well as his hug tightening. "I do have one question for you, though, if you don't mind me asking. . ." he went on, uncertainly.

"What's t-that?" Naruto asked curiously, a frown indicating his worry.

"Why? Why did your father seal Kyuubi inside you?" Sasuke asked, genuinely curious, but also concerned.

"That's a fair question," the blonde responded, scrunching his nose up in thought. "Tou-san told me he did it, because he knew I was different. That I could handle the chakra and that he could entrust me with the power. He's been teaching me how to use the chakra safely ever since I found out about it."

"Wow. . . that's really amazing, Naruto," Sasuke replied in awe, his brows arching in amazement. "In effect, you're much stronger than me."

"Well, I wouldn't say that, Sasuke," the blonde answered, as he buried his head against Sasuke's shoulder, trying not to show the raven that he was grinning again. "Although, now I understand what happened that day...when were in the Land of Waves...and I thought you had...died," he paused here, the raven just listened. "Kyuubi's powers came out and that's how I defeated Haku. Strong emotions can trigger the power." Here, the the blonde felt the raven nod against his chest.

"So, that's how Haku got defeated. I had always wondered," he thought back to the memory.

"Yeah, well, I didn't really know what happened either, until after I told Tousan," Naruto went on. "Tou-san then told me I can only use it in emergencies. Too much usage of Kyuubi's chakra, can damage my body, so I have to be careful. I have to become stronger on my own chakra. I have a cool seal on my stomach too, but it only shows up when I use Kyuubi's chakra," he explained to the raven, who nodded again. "I. . . I just wanted you to know this, Sasuke, since. . . you'll be gone, and we don't know when we'll see each other again. I felt I owed you the truth."

"You're quite a guy, Naruto," Sasuke told the blonde, breaking the hug as he took in Naruto's appearance. His eyes were still red, but the sadness was gone from his eyes. "I'm grateful to have you for a friend. You were there for me during the hard times. The least I can do is be there for you. I could have easily become an orphan too. I'm glad your father stopped Itachi, even though my parents are gone now. I at least have a brother, and I know the truth about him."

"Will. . . you, you know. . . keep in touch?" Naruto asked him hopefully, biting his lip as if he was waiting for rejection.

Sasuke looked Naruto in the eye. "As much as I'm able to, Naruto," he promised sincerely.

Naruto nodded, satisfied, releasing his lower lip to let his smile appear again. The next few minutes were awkward for both teens, as they left unsaid, what neither of them could bring themselves to say. The blonde finally broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Let's go downstairs and see what we need to do next," he suggested, being unwilling to say goodbye just yet.

Sasuke nodded and they got up and left together, both feeling heavy in heart.

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**TBC**

**1) **_Shiki Fuujin-_ Dead Demon Consuming Seal

**AN: Just a reminder, this is NOT yaoi between Naruto and Sasuke, they have a brotherly relationship, that's all. Not much else to say expect that, I thank everyone who's reviewed, added to favorites, etc. I hope you all are enjoying this. More to come!**


	12. Chapter 12

**My Way of the Ninja**

**Chapter 12

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**Beta'd by: MrsHellman-you rock!**

**Warning: Spoilers for Manga!

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**Disclaimer: Do I still need this? Seriously, I won't ever own Naruto, well, maybe in my dreams, LOL!

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When the boys had come downstairs, Minato explained to them the change in plans of how they would stay at the mansion for week. He told Sasuke about Itachi's eyes and how he was going to find the best med-nin to heal them. The younger Uchiha had been shocked to learn that the Mangekyou Sharingan had that kind of side effect, but he was glad that Minato was going to get someone to heal them. It was appreciated to say the least.

The Yondaime proceeded to give them strict rules about not to leaving the house for anything, because Itachi could not be seen out and about in the village.

Both teens were glad that they'd have a little more time to spend together, because everything had been such a mess lately, and their time together had been shared awkwardly. Minato knew that he had to talk with Naruto about Akatsuki before doing anything else, since they were on the move. It just wasn't an easy conversation to have to tell your son that S-rank criminals were after the Kyuubi inside him.

The next evening though, the opportunity presented itself; Sasuke was out back training with Itachi, they knew they were safe from view since the training grounds were private, with left Naruto and Minato alone together. They were sitting in lounge, relaxing, doing nothing in particular – i.e Minato was _trying_ to think of a way to bring up the subject, when Naruto interrupted his thoughts.

"Ne, Tou-san?" he asked, looking over at his father with curious blue eyes and arched brows.

"Yes, son?" the older blonde answered as he turned his gaze from staring out into nothing towards his son.

"I want to know more about this Akatsuki, and why you are so concerned about them," Naruto asked, getting straight to the point. "I know that it has something to do with me," he continued pointedly.

_You're very perceptive, Naruto. At least I didn't have to find a way to bring this up,_ Minato thought wryly, as a sigh escaped his dry lips.

He raked a hand through his blonde hair. "I've been meaning to talk to you about it, Naruto," he began quietly, keeping his hand longer than necessary in his hair. "I don't know much, but Jiraiya-sensei told me about how the Akatsuki are moving around, collecting jutsu and other things. The members are all S-rank criminals. That's why I want Itachi to spy for me, to find out exactly what they're after. However," Minato paused here for a moment, choosing the right words before continuing, "Jiraiya-sensei thinks they may be after you," he finished hesitantly, not sure how Naruto would react to this information.

"Me? Why would they want me?" the younger blonde asked, titling his head to the side in confusion.

"To be specific, Naruto, I think they're after Kyuubi inside of you," the taller blonde told him carefully. "The nine-tailed fox has the most powerful chakra level and it's highly desirable. Most likely they want to somehow put its power under their control."

Naruto frowned at this information and went silent for a while, thinking. Minato felt awkward as he saw this, because to be honest; it wasn't normal for his son be that quiet for this long. When he couldn't take the silence any longer he said, "Naruto, I'm sorry. It's the fate you carry because of Kyuubi and it's my fault."

The blonde teen blinked, finally registering what his father had just said to him. Looking over at him and meeting his gaze directly, he answered his father with a soft voice. "It's okay, Tou-san. I know you had a good reason for doing it. Just being your son makes me have to watch my back. This isn't that much different," he reassured his father, with a smile.

Minato smiled back in relief; his son was acting so much older than his age. "Well, we can't let you go down without a fight. You need to be prepared, do more specialized training and get stronger. I'm not sure exactly how we'll work it out, with my duties and all, but we'll find a way, that's for sure."

"I'm not going to let them get me!" Naruto said with fiery determination, a fist pumping in the air. "I'll do whatever it takes!"

Minato couldn't help but grin wider this time. His son wasn't afraid, and that was something he really loved about Naruto. He reminded the older blonde of his mother so much at times like these; Kushina would have been so proud of their son.

He shook his head and focused back on his son. "Well, you needed to know what's going on, and now you can be prepared. I need to get in touch with Jiraiya-sensei and have him track down Tsunade for me."

Naruto nodded solemnly, meeting his father's gaze with warm but determined eyes. "I don't have any time to waste then, so I'm going to train with Sasuke," he said as he got up and left quickly, before Minato could say anything else.

The older blonde shook his head and sighed as he watched his son leave. His son had a one-track mind sometimes, well, most of the time. The blonde Kage got up and writing a message to his former sensei, sent it off, asking him to come to the house as soon as possible.

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Jiraiya arrived at the Hokage mansion the next day, and Minato was quite surprised that the man had been able to get here as soon as he did. He'd expected that it would have taken at least two days.

"That was quick sensei, you been hanging around close by?" Minato asked the Sannin, as he came inside, a blonde brow being arched.

Jiraiya smiled knowingly, but there was something funny with it as well. "Like I told you before, you can always find me when you need me. Seems like now is that time," he told his former student with a huge grin as the blonde nodded.

"I'll get straight to the point, since we're kind of short on time here," Minato began – pretty stressed – as Jiraiya noted and listened intently. "I need you to find Tsunade for me and bring her back here to Konoha," he told the white-haired Sannin and then he smiled like small child that was expecting candy of some sort.

Jiraiya raised a brow as he saw this; the blonde's smile widening. "Why now?"

"Because, I need her to heal someone for me," Minato answered vaguely, his smile faltering a little as he answered, but it was still radiating the same need. "And only she can do it."

"Minato, what's going on?" Jiraiya asked pointedly, as he crossed his arms, completely ignoring the_ grown_ man's childish behaviour.

"Sensei, it's a long story, and I'll be glad to tell you everything, but right now, time is of the essence. I really need you to find Tsunade as soon as possible," Minato answered, feeling bad about not being able to tell the older man everything right now.

The older man of the two seemed to be thinking it over for a bit, eyeing his former student calculatingly. "Very well, Minato. . . I know you're planning something important and I'll trust you on that. It will take me some time to find Tsunade, but I've heard some rumors of where she might be at."

"I need her back here in six days, sensei. Can you do it?" Minato asked, insistently, nearly interrupting the other man, and it made Jiraiya frown. Why was the blonde so insistent on this?

"For you, Minato, yes, I can. I'll leave right now," Jiraiya got up to leave and then paused and faced the younger man. "She won't come back willingly, you know. She's taking quite a liking to her current lifestyle of gambling, so I hear."

"Tell her she'll be well compensated for the trouble," Minato told Jiraiya after a second thought. "She can name her price."

Jiraiya smiled – nearly evilly – as he snorted. "Very well. I'm off then, and you better have a fortune worth twice as much as everything you own," he said as he went out the door.

Minato saw him out to the door and shut it, titling back his head until it hit the door with a soft 'thump.' "Great," he muttered, closing his eyes, feeling a headache coming on.

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Later on that day, Sasuke decided that he needed to go over to the Uchiha compound and get some things that he would need to take with him before leaving Konoha. And as best friends usually do, Naruto reminded him that he wasn't supposed to leave the mansion.

Itachi spoke up at that point and said that he could go with Sasuke and that they could use _henge_ to disguise themselves so no one would recognize them. Naruto reluctantly agreed, and since Minato wasn't there, let them go. He knew it would be hard for Sasuke to go back there… he watched them leave; their disguises were common villagers, with deep concern.

Sasuke and Itachi made their way to the Uchiha compound silently, so as not to attract attention to themselves. When they got to the entrance of the compound, they walked in casually, and made their way over to their house. People eyed them curiously, but no one said anything to them.

When they got close enough to the entrance of the house, they saw that it was roped off with tape that read, 'Do not enter' put there by ANBU, no doubt. After checking to see if the coast was clear, they ducked under the tape and went inside.

As they made their way towards the main part of the house, Sasuke was flooded with memories and emotions of the past, with his parents, in particular his mother. She would always greet him at the door when he would come home, tending to his injuries, making him lunch. He thought of his father, who was always so stern and distant, and seemed to think of nothing but his brother, and yet he had taught him the _Goukakyu no Jutsu_, and had told him, 'you are my son, indeed.'

Had he really meant all of that?

As they made their way past the kitchen, Sasuke remembered his mother's wonderful cooking. He could almost 'smell' it, even now. She always had smile on her face, and yet, the younger raven thought she always looked a bit. . . sad. . . Sasuke's thoughts turned to his father again. He had murdered his mother in cold blood. She had always been so kind, even after Itachi was gone, his father had remained distant, wouldn't even train him for the Chuunin exam, and now it all made sense.

But his mother. . .

She was innocent and didn't deserve this at all.

Feeling tears burning in the back of his eyes, the younger Uchiha shook his head, as he walked on again, to his room. It was just so weird being in the house with no one living in it. Itachi, all the while, was observing Sasuke quietly.

Sasuke went into his room and began putting together his things into a pack that he would need.

Itachi now stood in the doorway, watching him with narrowed eyes. "Pack lightly, little brother. We'll be traveling fast when we leave," he told him, without emotion in his voice. Inside, though, he felt for his younger brother – he knew this was very hard for him, and once upon a time, he'd been in the same shoes as Sasuke was in now.

The younger Uchiha merely nodded, not really trusting his voice at the moment. He looked around his room for anything else he might need. As he went over to his dresser, he saw a picture sitting there; it was his mother, father, Itachi and himself – a family portrait, back when they really were a family. Only Sasuke and his mother were smiling while his father and Itachi wore very serious expressions, the typical Uchiha expression the young raven had learned how to use later on in life.

Sasuke picked up the picture and stared at it for a few minutes. It was merely an illusion of a happy family, an illusion he'd never want to go back to, ever again. . . but something inside him craved to go back there as well, it was family after all. It hadn't been perfect, but it was— no. . . _had been_ family. Suddenly, he was filled with an inexpressible rage and threw the picture against the wall, shattering the glass along with the illusion that had been his family before the pieces clattered to the to the ground.

The younger raven-haired teen collapsed on the floor, and couldn't stop the tears following down his face, he was too big to cry, and still, it felt like the only thing he could truly do right now. His brother had watched all this in stoic silence, seeming to want to give his younger brother 'sacred time.' Feeling the need to now step in, he walked over to Sasuke and knelt down next to him, no emotion visible on his face, and placed a tentative hand on his shoulder.

Sasuke tried to hide his tear-streaked face, but it was futile. "Why? Why did all this have to happen?" he asked as he looked directly at Itachi. "Why didn't you tell me the truth?"

Itachi looked at Sasuke seriously, before turning away his eyes; unable to meet the younger teen's gaze, and answered the question. "You were too young at that time. I didn't want to get you involved. Politics are ugly, Sasuke, and I wanted you retain your innocence and not be tainted. I thought it would be best for you," he answered sincerely, still not meeting his brother's gaze though.

Sasuke became livid as he heard this. "Best for me to believe you were a murderer? That Otou-sama was a traitor, so he would eventually kill Okaa-sama? How is that 'best' for me!?" he shouted angrily to his brother, his face scrunched up in anger.

Itachi looked distant for a moment before answering. "I know this is all very hard for you. I understand your anger," he answered calmly, blinking slowly as if to tease the younger raven somehow. "For me, it was also hard back then. It wasn't easy to be a double agent. In order to complete the mission I was given, I had to kill my sense of self."

Sasuke looked at him with bewilderment on his face. "But why? Why did you have to do it?"

"You never saw war, Sasuke. I did. The trauma of it, made me want to be a man of peace. I hated conflict. As a result, I put the stability of the village first and worked towards peace." The older raven shook his head in dismay and subconscious frustration. "I didn't want the village to get caught up in clan differences and the elders used that to their advantage, but Hokage-sama did everything he could to negotiate peace. And in the end, he failed, and I went out to complete my mission. I didn't want another ninja war. . . however, Yondaime had other plans, and he stopped me. He couldn't let me go through with it."

"Aren't you glad though?" Sasuke asked, tears still visible on his face and his eyes a bit scarlet and bloodshot.

"To a degree. . . but look what has happened now," Itachi pointed out and turned his gaze back to Sasuke, still no emotions visible whatsoever.

The younger Uchiha remained silent for moment. "You were really going to kill Otou-sama and Okaa-sama, along with everyone else, weren't you?" Itachi didn't answer his younger brother's question, and honestly, Sasuke didn't really expect him to, since he already knew the answer.

Then, plucking up the courage that he needed, he asked the next question that he absolutely had know the answer to. "Were you going to kill me too?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

The elder Uchiha looked away for a minute before answering. "I was supposed to. . . but I couldn't— no – _wouldn't_ do it. You're my younger brother, our bond was…unique. I cared too much for you," he answered, causing Sasuke to blink in surprise at this.

"You would have killed everyone but me. . . why, Aniki?" Sasuke asked in the same quiet tone, not understanding this at all.

"To me, your life weighed more than the village," Itachi stated honestly, and it made Sasuke's face heat up in the slightest. "It wasn't an easy choice to betray the clan, but I never planned to kill you from the beginning. I was willing to accept that I was a criminal and traitor. I accepted dishonor in payment for honor— hatred in payment for love. I would have rotted in jail forever, and was even prepared to die, all for the sake of peace, but more important than that, for you, otouto. That's who I really am. . . I hope you can forgive me someday." The older Uchiha meet the younger's gaze, as silent communication passed between them.

The silence continued for a while; Sasuke had stopped crying and sniffled a few times. Turning towards his brother, he said, "Wow, I never realized the gravity of the situation you were in, nii-san. The choice you had to make…I don't know what I would have done either," he trailed off, looking at his brother in whole new light. Then suddenly he threw his arms around him, hugging him fiercely; shocking his brother in the process. "Aniki. . . I'm sorry," he started to sob all over again.

Surprised by the contact, but not shunning it, Itachi returned the hug slowly. "It's going to be all right now, Otouto." Sasuke just nodded into his chest, as he wiped furiously at his eyes. He hated himself for appearing so weak, especially in front of his brother. "What we're going to do, won't be easy," the older raven went on, "but I promise to protect you, and to make you stronger."

Sasuke swallowed hard as he nodded. . .Itachi, along with himself, was all that was left of the Uchiha clan…all that was left of his family. He clung to his brother like a lifeline, unwilling to let go.

They sat like that together for what seemed like hours. The silence between them speaking volumes to each other, all the wounds and hurts from the past, being put aside. They had a chance at being brothers again. They both knew it would take time, but healing was still possible.

Itachi finally broke the silence.

"Come, Sasuke. We should go. Naruto-kun will be worried," he said – once again undemonstratively – and gave his younger brother an all too familiar 'flick' on the forehead, causing the younger Uchiha to feel both happy and annoyed by the familiar gesture.

Glaring slightly at his older brother in response, as he rubbed the spot, remembering all too well his older brother's annoying habit. He then smiled slightly though, having fond memories of their childhood together before things had changed between them. Now, at least, they had a second chance at their relationship and Sasuke wanted to make the best of it.

It was nice to know that Itachi really was the kind of brother Sasuke always thought he was. He let go of Itachi as they both stood up. Grabbing his pack off of his bed, Sasuke headed to the door with Itachi in the lead, he took one last look around, and walked out without looking back.

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Six days had passed since Jiraiya had left to find Tsunade and Minato was starting to get worried. What if he couldn't find her? What if she refused to come? He bit his lip in concern and anticipation. He knew Itachi and Sasuke couldn't stay much longer, and currently, Sasuke and Naruto were training together on the private grounds, with Itachi watching them.

Minato had taken to pacing to try and calm himself; it wasn't working. Suddenly he heard a knock on the door, ripping him out of his thoughts, so he got up and opened it. There was Jiraiya with a very disgruntled looking Tsunade.

"Thank, Kami! You found her!" Minato exclaimed with wide eyes and waving hands due to relief, as he invited them inside.

"I wasn't too thrilled on coming here, Minato," Tsunade began. "But Jiraiya said you'd make it worth my while."

"And I will, Tsunade, I promise," the blonde answered seriously, looking her over curiously. "You haven't aged a bit!" She didn't have wrinkles at all! Her face was as smooth and perfect as it had been when Minato himself was a little kid.

"And you haven't changed at all, _gaki,_" she retorted, as Minato smiled sheepishly. "Now, tell me why you had this pervert drag me all the way back to Konoha for," Tsunade asked the younger man and crossed her arms over her large chest with an annoyed look on her facial features.

"Of course," Minato answered, as they both sat down in the lounge's couch. "It's a long story, so get comfortable." He then proceeded to tell Tsunade and Jiraiya all about Itachi, Orochimaru, Danzo and elders, Akatsuki, which then led up to his current course of action and why he brought her here.

"I need you to see if you can heal Itachi-kun's eyes. He's going to need his 'eyesight' where he's going. Will you look at them?" Minato asked her, sitting on tender hooks, waiting for her answer. He could tell that both Tsunade and Jiraiya were shocked by this news.

Tsunade closed her eyes for a moment, re-opening them with a glare in place, her brows furrowed as well. "That's quite a story, Minato. Danzo and my grandfather never did get along, and I personally don't care for him at all. Since Itachi is really innocent, I'll see what I can do for you," she finally said, looking at the blonde as she licked the inside of her lips.

"Arigatou, Tsunade-hime! You won't regret it! I'll get Itachi-kun right now," Minato told her, as he got up and left the room to find the older of the two Uchiha brothers.

Tsunade looked over at Jiraiya with her glare faltering a little. "You believe all of this?" she asked the other Sannin and arched a brow. She threw her arms over the seat of the couch's back, making her back arch, as well as making her breasts look bigger; Jiraiya mentally drooled.

Or maybe it wasn't only mentally. . .

"It's pretty incredible, but I have no reason not to believe Minato. It really makes a lot of sense when you think about it," the white-haired Sannin replied as he used the back of his hand to wipe away any drool that might have escaped – Tsunade gave him an annoyed look.

"Yeah, I suppose so," she answered with a sigh and titled her head away from the man. "I wonder if Minato has any saké. . ." she asked mostly to herself, as she looked around the room, and now it was Jiraiya's turn to glare.

"Tsunade. . . you need to be at your best when you look at the Uchiha," Jiraiya scolded her mildly, but couldn't help but smirk.

"What you mean? I am at my best after I had the saké!" she laughed, and Jiraiya couldn't help but laugh along with her.

Just then, Itachi and Minato came in through the door; Jiraiya and Tsunade looked up at them.

"Itachi-kun, this is Tsunade-sama," Minato introduced them as he walked over to the couch again, and sat down. Itachi did as well. "She's the best medical nin in Konoha. You're in good hands when being with her."

Itachi bowed slightly to Tsunade. "I have heard that you are one of the great Sannin. I am honored," he said politely with a small bow of his head that made the blonde woman snort as he smirked a little.

Tsunade studied the Uchiha prodigy carefully. "Well, let's not waste time," she said and sat up straight, her hand being clapped together. "Minato, can you show us someplace we can go, where I can examine him?"

"Certainly, follow me," Minato answered as he led them both out of the room, two people following him – Tsunade and Itachi. Jiraiya stayed behind. They went to the guest room, and it pleased Tsunade, so he left them and went back to speak with Jiraiya.

Once alone, Tsunade got to work. "If you would lie down on the bed for me, I'll begin."

Itachi complied willingly and lay down on the bed with his eyes staring up at the ceiling, and then she got started.

"Please start by activating your normal Sharingan first, so I can observe what it does to your eyes," she instructed the Uchiha. He complied, and using her chakra, ran it over his eyes. "Okay, now active your Mangekyou," she told him next, which he did so, as she repeated the same test, and then told him to deactivate the Sharingan. Itachi was very quiet, simply just compiling with the older woman's exam. He couldn't help but notice that this woman had the larger bust he had ever seen.

It took some time, using her chakra to examine his eyes and so forth, repeating the same tests over and over until Tsunade was finally satisfied with a diagnosis.

"It's as I thought. The overuse of the Mangekyou Sharingan puts a terrible strain on your eyes, causing eventual blindness. I can heal and reverse the process for you, Itachi-san," she finally informed him as her hands that had glowed green during the examination returned to their normal state. "It's going to take the rest of the day, and maybe even into the night, but I can do it. However, I'll warn you now – even after your eyes are healed, they will become damaged again the more you use the Mangekyou Sharingan, got it?"

"Aa," Itachi replied without moving more facial muscles than needed.

"Alright. I'm going to get started. This might be a little uncomfortable for you, tell me if you need a break," she informed him, while Itachi nodded, and prepared himself – for what you could call – the operation.

Minato came by after a while to check on their progress and was pleased to hear that Tsunade could heal Itachi's eyes. Leaving the Sannin woman to complete her work, he left again to keep his former sensei company.

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"So, Minato, how's Naruto doing these days?" the white-haired Sannin asked, after the blonde informed that Tsunade could heal Itachi's eyes.

"Quite well. He's training out back with Sasuke right now," the blonde Hokage answered. "I-I told him about Akatsuki," he added, solemnly.

"How did he take it?" Jiraiya asked him, with a raised brow.

"Better than I expected actually. He's determined to get stronger, and not give up," the blonde answered, as he sighed wistfully. "He's stubborn just like his mother. His personality, even his ninjutsu style is so much like hers," he added quietly.

"He got your looks, though," Jiraiya added, playfully, causing the blonde to smile. "You know, I've come to think of you like my own son, and Naruto like a grandson," he told the blonde.

"Thanks, sensei," Minato replied, grinned widely this time. Then with a smirk he added, "You're definitely _old _enough to be Naruto's grandfather."

Jiraiya glared at him. "Is that any way to talk to your former sensei, gaki?" he snorted.

Minato couldn't help but laugh. "You should see Naruto before you leave. He hasn't seen you in awhile," the blonde told the Sannin.

"I'll do that," he promised.

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Naruto sneezed. "Are you okay, Naruto?" the raven asked the blonde. "Are you getting sick?"

The said blonde rubbed his nose. "Nah. Someone must be talking about me," he answered.**(1)** "I'm glad that Ero-sennin brought back Obaa-chan, so she can help your brother," the blonde continued, as they were both now sitting, taking a break from training.

"Ero-sennin? Obaa-chan?" the raven asked with a raised brow.

"Jiraiya-sama and Tsuande-hime," Naruto clarified. "He's an open perv though. Always spying on the women's bath. He's the author of Icha Icha Paradise, the book that Kakashi-sensei reads."

"I see," Sasuke answered, wondering how such a person could be a Sannin. "I hope that Tsunade-sama will be able to help nii-san," he added thoughtfully.

"Tou-san told me she's the best medical ninja in all of Konoha. I'm sure she can do it," the blonde reassured his friend.

The raven smiled in response. "You're right. It makes me wonder though about the Mangekyou Sharingan. It is really worth it to have that 'sight' when in the end, it causes blindness?" Naruto looked over at his friend at this. "Nii-san had to even kill his best friend to obtain it. Although I guess Madara forced him to do it," Sasuke told the blonde.

"That's terrible," the said blonde answered, scrunching up his nose in disgust. "Who is this Madara guy?"

"Some Uchiha that lived a long time ago. Don't even know how he is still alive. But he's with Akatsuki, and therefore an enemy," the raven answered.

Naruto nodded solemnly at this. "So, you seem to be getting along with Itachi-san better now. You guys patched things up?" he asked changing the subject to get off of Madara.

Sasuke shook his head to focus on the question. "Yeah, you can say that we did. We had a good talk at the compound that we've come to a mutual understanding. I mean, I still feel hurt by it all, but I understand nii-san so much better now."

The blonde nodded at this. "I'm glad to hear it, Sasuke, since he's the only family you have left now," he said quietly.

Sasuke looked uncomfortable at this and stood up. "Let's get back to training, dobe. We…don't have much time left…before…" he trailed off, Naruto knowing his meaning.

"You're on, teme!" he challenged, standing up as well as they went at each other in an all out sparing match, getting lost in it, forgetting everything else and just living in the moment.

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**To be concluded…**

**(1) In the anime I've noticed that when someone sneezes, it's thought to mean that someone is talking about you.**

**AN: Angst, I love it! A little sap between brothers, had to write it. Thanks again for the reviews and favorites! Stay tuned for the conclusion!**


	13. Chapter 13

**My Way of the Ninja**

**Beta'd by: MrsHellman

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**Disclaimer: All the amount of wishing in the world wouldn't allow me to own Naruto, but I can try!**

**Chapter 13-Epilogue

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Tsunade not only worked on Itachi's eye's all day, but it had taken her far into the night to finish the job. The Uchiha's eyes were as well as she could get them.

"That should do it, Itachi-san," Tsunade told him when she was finished, a sigh escaping her lips due to relief. She was completely exhausted from both lack of sleep and chakra usage. "Let me just check you over and make sure everything is okay." She had him activate his Sharingan and then the Mangekyou before his eyes returned to their normal coal black color, and then stared at the woman in expectation, waiting for her answer.

"Everything looks fine. Just remember what I said about overusing the Mangekyou Sharingan. If you don't have it activated constantly, that will help slow the process," she told him, as he nodded in response. "Okay, I'm just going to run a final scan, here," she continued as she proceeded to run some chakra over his body to see if there was anything that had been affected by the procedure. _That's strange, something's not right here__. . ._she frowned, as she continued her scan, her eyes becoming slimmer for each second passing.

"Is something wrong, Tsunade-sama?" Itachi asked as he noticed the frown on her face. He wasn't scared or anything, but if there was something wrong with his body, he needed to know.

Tsunade met his eyes and her frown was still in place. She had found something. . . and didn't spell good things for the young Uchiha. "I believe so, Itachi-san. I'm going to get Minato and I'll tell you both at the same time," she answered cryptically, as Itachi frowned slightly.

Tsunade left and returned with Minato in a few minutes. "What's going on Tsunade? Is something wrong?" Minato asked with concern as he looked over to the Uchiha that was still lying on the bed.

"I'm afraid there is, Minato. I was checking Itachi-san over as a standard procedure and I found something," she began as both Itachi and Minato looked at her with puzzlement. "Itachi's body is slowly being eaten away by a disease," she stated as she clicked her tongue.

Itachi was silent, while Minato still looked puzzled. "Can't you heal it?"

"No, I'm afraid not. It's fatal. . . and judging by how his body has been affected and the damage the disease has done. . . he'll die in six months," Tsunade informed them as she closed her eyes with an annoyed look on her face this; this wasn't good. What use it is, if you're the best medical ninja, and you can't heal someone? It was so frustrating…it took her back to those times when her brother and lover had…She shook her head. Can't think of that now.

Itachi remained emotionless at the news. "Isn't there anything you can do?" Minato asked imploringly.

Tsunade sighed and bit her lower lip, removing a few hair strands from her face as well. "There is a medicine I can give him that will prolong his life for about three years, if he takes it consistently."

Itachi looked at Tsunade, his face still unreadable. "I'll take it," he finally spoke. "I have to stay alive long enough to train Sasuke and find out what Akatsuki is up to," he told her without any concern for himself, all he had in mind for the moment, was his younger brother.

"Very well. I'll need to go the hospital and get it made for you. I'll make sure you have a good supply," Tsunade told him as he nodded. "I'll give you a few minutes alone," she said, as she left the room with a small click from the door.

Minato looked at Itachi with a frown. "Itachi-kun, I'm sorry—" he began, but the raven waved him off.

"Don't be. It can't be helped. And as long as I can complete my mission, it doesn't matter," he replied, casually, as if being told you have a fatal disease didn't matter to him at all.

The blonde frowned. Why wouldn't the raven care more about his life? "What about Sasuke?" he asked with a worried tone in his voce, and Itachi noticed it as he sat up from the bed, bending his neck in different direction until you could hear it snap. "He'll be devastated."

"I'm not going to tell him for now. He doesn't need to be burdened with it," Itachi told the Yondaime in a flat tone.

"But Itachi-san—"

"It's my decision to make, Hokage-sama," Itachi said firmly, but respectfully.

Minato looked at him for a while, with concern on his face. This wasn't what he'd expected, but it was what he had to accept. "Very well, but I don't agree with you," he finally said.

Itachi nodded as he heard this, he hadn't expected anything else. "Tomorrow morning, Sasuke and I will leave," he told Minato.

"I know," the blonde answered, biting his lip. He knew it had to be done, but he dreaded the actual departure. He knew it would be really hard on Naruto. . .

The next morning came all too soon for everyone, but Itachi it seemed, who was unreadable as ever. Tsunade had been true to her word and gotten Itachi the medicine he needed, giving him the necessary instructions along with it. Minato had talked her into staying a while, hoping to later convince her to stay in the village permanently, as a med-nin.

Jiraiya had left early that morning to do more 'research', but he did get to see Naruto, and was impressed with how well the brat had grown. Since he hasn't seen the lad for a few years it was a shock to see that he looked more like his father than ever before.

They had eaten breakfast together in silence; the last morning they had together, and everyone seemed pretty stoic. The room was filled with tension and dreaded anticipation; it was palpable.

"Thank you for breakfast, Hokage-sama," the older raven told Minato when they finished, as Sasuke voiced the same. Itachi looked over at Sasuke with a small frown, but it was barely visible. "It time to go, Otouto."

"Hai, I know," the younger Uchiha mumbled, looking down, his hair covering his eyes; it was painfully visible that he didn't want to do this. Naruto was looking down as well, and both Minato and Itachi knew the boys wanted to say goodbye to one another.

"Sasuke, I'll give you a few minutes to say goodbye to Naruto-kun. We'll have to leave after that," Itachi told him as he got up from his seat, and put away what he'd used, before walking out of the room.

"Yeah, me too, Naruto," Minato chimed in as he too got up, and left along with Itachi, understanding that the boys would want to be alone right now.

Both teens looked up at each other and slowly stood up, both at the same time.

"Well, I guess this is it," Naruto said, trying to keep his voice calm, but Sasuke noticed that it was trembling, even though it was in the slightest.

"Hn. Don't get all mushy on me, Naruto," the raven teased, trying to lighten the mood, but when it didn't work, Sasuke went on. "Dobe, come on, you're acting as if you'll never see me again," he chided the blonde. The raven was always good at keeping his emotions in check, where as the blonde tended to wear them on his sleeve.

Naruto met Sasuke's gaze and the raven nearly winced as he saw that those cerulean eyes were lustrous. "You're my closest friend, more like a brother than anything else, Sasuke, and you always will be," he told the raven seriously.

"Same here, Naruto," the dark-haired teen answered, and then suddenly remembered something. "Oh, I almost forgot," he went over and starting digging around his pack, with Naruto watching him curiously. He finally found what he was looking for and walked back to the blonde, holding an item in his hand.

"Here, Naruto. I want you to keep this for me," the raven said, holding out the item for Naruto to take.

The blonde looked confused. "But Sasuke, it's your hitai-ate_._ Why would you give this to me? It's your personal belonging, and you can't just give it away—"

"I can't use it where I'm going, _baka,_" Sasuke interrupted with a scolding tone. "And. . . you'll have something to remember me by. . . to remind you that I'll be coming back," he added quietly, a small smile on his lips.

Naruto felt his eyes burning again. _Damn it, not again!_ "Sasuke," his voice trembled. "I'll take good care of it for you," he promised, clutching the item tightly in his hands, holding on to it like a lifeline.

"I know you will," Sasuke replied solemnly before smiling towards his best friend – and 'brother.' "You'd better train like hell and get stronger, or I promise, I'll kick your ass when I see you next, you _u__sara__tonkachi_," he teased.

Naruto just nodded, and smiled faintly at the nickname. "I will_,_" he replied, and then he held out two of his fingers to Sasuke. The brunette looked at Naruto's hand; it was the same gesture that the blonde had made to him when they were kids, the day they became best friends.

Sasuke reached out and held Naruto's hand with his two fingers. Memories came flooding back to both of them:

_They were outside playing during break at the academy, Naruto walked up to Sasuke._

"_Hi. Sasuke, right? Since we're working together I thought I'd introduce myself. I'm__—__"_

"_You're the Yondaime's son," Sasuke interrupted __with an emotionless face – his brother had taught him not too show too much emotions when meeting a stranger._

"_I have a name __too, you idiot__! It's Namikaze Naruto," Naruto said a bit harshly, but stuck out his hand. Sasuke smirked at the blonde's audacity and slowly too his hand…_

Other memories came back as well. . .

_One day, they were training together. Naruto looked over at Sasuke with a very serious expression on his face._

"_What's wrong, Naruto?" Sasuke asked his friend._

_Naruto walked over to Sasuke and held out two fingers, as the raven looked at him in puzzlement. "I've decided that you're my best friend, Sasuke. I want us to as close as brothers. I want us to swear that we'll be friends for life no matter what. Deal?" he asked Sasuke with a foxy grin._

_Sasuke looked at Naruto's fingers and then smiling himself,__ and__ took Naruto's fingers into his own. He looked at the blonde in the eyes. _

"_Deal." _

The raven-haired teen broke the silence first. "Take care, Naruto," he told him, keeping his voice quiet, but steady, looking at the blonde's blue eyes.

"You too, Sasuke. You can't die on me, remember that," Naruto replied, as their eyes meet, they spoke volumes to each other, without words, that neither one of them could verbalize.

"It's time to go, Otouto," Itachi interrupted with his oh-so-perfect timing, now standing in the doorway, breaking the moment.

"Okay, Aniki," the younger raven replied but he didn't look at his brother. Giving Naruto one last look, he let go of the other teen's fingers and walked towards his brother. "I'm ready now," he told him, as Itachi nodded.

Minato and Naruto followed them to the door to see them off, even though the only thing Naruto wanted to do right now was to scream and beg Sasuke not to leave.

"Thank you again, for everything, Hokage-sama," Itachi told Minato. "I'll be in touch with you as soon as I know something."

Minato nodded with a small smile on his facial features. "You're welcome, and be careful," he added.

Itachi looked down at Naruto, who was watching them intensely. "Thank you for being such a good friend to my brother. You're like. . . family," he finished, as the blonde could only nod in response, fighting back the tears that threatened to overflow.

Then the two Uchiha brothers turned and started walking away. Naruto couldn't help but finally let the tears flow down his face, as he watched his best friend for six years, walk away. He clutched Sasuke's hitai_-_ate tightly in his hands, and brought it up to his chest. Minato placed his arm around Naruto's shoulders in comfort, as the younger blonde leaned into the touch.

As Sasuke and Itachi were almost out of sight, Sasuke rose up his hand in a final salute to Naruto, and then they were gone.

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**END**

**AN: Okay, don't kill me, people. I know this was short, but it seemed like a good place to stop. Shippuuden isn't over, and I can't begin to write a story for that, until I know how things will end up, with what I want to use, etc. So I may write another sequel at some point. In the meantime, I may come up with something else to write, so look for that sometime later. This is the longest story I've written yet, and I really enjoyed it a lot. It's always sad to see a story end. **

**I want to thank my wonderful beta, MrsHellman, you rock, hon! And also my husband, Jeremy for helping me write the fighting parts, and for being a wonderful support to me throughout all of this! Thank you my number one fan! You're awesome! Review one last time for me, k? Thank you, everyone!**


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